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 Zimbabwe and from Paris.
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 1963 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Ajijia Myrayebe to the jazz kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 The Blackbyrds. All the underground hits.
All Television tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Country Joe & The Fish record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Guru Guru record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Porter Ricks,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Mary Jane Girls,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Bob Dylan,
A Certain Ratio,
Sonic Youth,
Minnie Riperton,
Au Pairs,
ABC,
Henry Cow,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Searchers,
Deakin,
Marcia Griffiths,
the Germs,
H. Thieme,
The Monks,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Bang On A Can,
Peter & Gordon,
The Modern Lovers,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Sparks,
Intrusion,
Amon Düül II,
Boz Scaggs,
Negative Approach,
Jawbox,
Ice-T,
Idris Muhammad,
The Velvet Underground,
Ronnie Foster,
Bluetip,
Jeff Mills,
Interpol,
The Standells,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Sandy B,
Lucky Dragons,
the Sonics,
Moby Grape,
Fluxion,
Sexual Harrassment,
Y Pants,
Eurythmics,
Rufus Thomas,
48th St. Collective,
Jeff Lynne,
Reagan Youth,
Outsiders,
Toni Rubio,
Dorothy Ashby,
Banda Bassotti,
UT,
Pantaleimon,
Aural Exciters,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Lou Christie, Lou Christie, Lou Christie, Lou Christie.
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.