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 Kiribati and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Rosa Yemen to the dance kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Unwound. All the underground hits.
All The Doors tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scan 7 record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 808 and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Man Eating Sloth record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Isaac Hayes,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Mars,
Main Source,
Boogie Down Productions,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Maurizio,
X-Ray Spex,
The Standells,
Lower 48,
Bobby Womack,
Cybotron,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Wake,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Man Eating Sloth,
The United States of America,
Interpol,
The Fortunes,
The Red Krayola,
Sex Pistols,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
the Association,
Kerri Chandler,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Kerrie Biddell,
The Invisible,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Mojo Men,
Wally Richardson,
Unwound,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Mummies,
Ultra Naté,
JFA,
Minor Threat,
Youth Brigade,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Prince Buster,
New York Dolls,
Soul II Soul,
Negative Approach,
Babytalk,
Ten City,
the Swans,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Talk Talk,
Todd Terry,
Rakim,
PIL,
Drexciya,
U.S. Maple,
Hot Snakes,
Royal Trux,
Lucky Dragons,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
John Cale,
Tommy Roe,
Faraquet,
The Tremeloes,
the Bar-Kays, the Bar-Kays, the Bar-Kays, the Bar-Kays.
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.