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 Solomon Islands and from Glasgow.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Pole to the rap kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Yaz. All the underground hits.
All The Misunderstood tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lizzy Mercier Descloux record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Wire record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scott Walker,
David Axelrod,
Juan Atkins,
Nico,
Scan 7,
Monks,
Marine Girls,
The J.B.'s,
Franke,
Charles Mingus,
The Dead C,
Mo-Dettes,
The Angels of Light,
Tom Boy,
Joensuu 1685,
The Golliwogs,
Sarah Menescal,
the Association,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Soul II Soul,
Moebius,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Organ,
Japan,
ABBA,
Pantytec,
The Searchers,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Brand Nubian,
The Fall,
DJ Style,
Icehouse,
Tears for Fears,
Deepchord,
Matthew Bourne,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Monochrome Set,
the Germs,
The Offenders,
The Barracudas,
Sam Rivers,
Rod Modell,
Kayak,
Graham Central Station,
The Blackbyrds,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Quantec,
The Buckinghams,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Banda Bassotti,
Qualms,
Scratch Acid,
Ronnie Foster,
The Toasters,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Ultravox,
Monolake,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Fear,
Mary Jane Girls,
Carl Craig, Carl Craig, Carl Craig, Carl Craig.
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.