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 Sierra Leone and from Madrid.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Sixth Finger to the rap 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 the Swans. All the underground hits.
All The J.B.'s tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Leaves record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Manfred Mann's Earth Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Slits,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Darondo,
the Bar-Kays,
Young Marble Giants,
Sandy B,
Hot Snakes,
Television,
Chrome,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Minutemen,
The Associates,
Skarface,
Altered Images,
June of 44,
Amon Düül,
Grey Daturas,
Parry Music,
The Gories,
Drexciya,
In Retrospect,
Rites of Spring,
The Gladiators,
The Cowsills,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Sparks,
Stereo Dub,
The Zeros,
Maurizio,
Sun Ra,
The Slackers,
World's Most,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Bluetip,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Soul Sonic Force,
Lindisfarne,
the Slits,
Grauzone,
Crispy Ambulance,
Average White Band,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Funky Four + One,
Bill Near,
John Foxx,
Chris & Cosey,
Don Cherry,
Outsiders,
Ohio Players,
Zero Boys,
James White and The Blacks,
Wally Richardson,
Mr. Review,
Lakeside,
Matthew Halsall,
Eurythmics,
Sonny Sharrock,
Index,
Eric Copeland,
Franke, Franke, Franke, Franke.
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.