Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Iran and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1969 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Nik Kershaw to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by U.S. Maple. All the underground hits.
All It's A Beautiful Day tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Moody Blues record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Fad Gadget record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Angels of Light,
Blancmange,
a-ha,
Hasil Adkins,
Black Bananas,
Rotary Connection,
Soft Cell,
Andrew Hill,
The Birthday Party,
Barry Ungar,
The Kinks,
Ohio Players,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Public Image Ltd.,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Motorama,
Spoonie Gee,
Smog,
Prince Buster,
Buzzcocks,
Amon Düül,
Iggy Pop,
Audionom,
Ken Boothe,
Y Pants,
Sällskapet,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Junior Murvin,
Godley & Creme,
Depeche Mode,
Robert Görl,
The Vogues,
Angry Samoans,
Judy Mowatt,
Black Pus,
Royal Trux,
Bootsy Collins,
The Gories,
Sun City Girls,
Davy DMX,
Jimmy McGriff,
Crispy Ambulance,
Urselle,
Ten City,
Make Up,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The New Christs,
John Holt,
The Fall,
Suburban Knight,
Pussy Galore,
Lakeside,
Gang Gang Dance,
the Normal,
Fela Kuti,
Tears for Fears,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Sonic Youth,
Chrome,
Cameo,
Crash Course in Science,
Neil Young, Neil Young, Neil Young, Neil Young.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.