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 Bolivia and from Tokyo.
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 Manila and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
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 The Walker Brothers to the techno kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Be Bop Deluxe. All the underground hits.
All The Slackers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Babytalk 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sun City Girls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Parry Music,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Mandrill,
The Skatalites,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Desert Stars,
MDC,
B.T. Express,
Franke,
Roxy Music,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Metal Thangz,
The Doobie Brothers,
Donald Byrd,
The Black Dice,
Swans,
Grandmaster Flash,
Ornette Coleman,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Gang Gang Dance,
Make Up,
The Smoke,
Zapp,
Alphaville,
Agent Orange,
Dorothy Ashby,
Jeff Lynne,
Bauhaus,
Boz Scaggs,
Matthew Halsall,
Ludus,
Rhythm & Sound,
Au Pairs,
New Age Steppers,
Throbbing Gristle,
Fugazi,
Charles Mingus,
Procol Harum,
The Blackbyrds,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Amon Düül II,
Minor Threat,
Pagans,
Theoretical Girls,
Crime,
Chris & Cosey,
Tommy Roe,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Count Five,
Sonny Sharrock,
Amazonics,
Traffic Nightmare,
Slave,
Moebius,
The Motions,
Kenny Larkin,
Faraquet,
Pantytec,
Intrusion,
Iggy Pop,
Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar.
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.