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 Paraguay and from Taipei.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Stockholm.
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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the mellotron 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 James White and The Blacks to the jazz 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 Harmonia. All the underground hits.
All Prince Buster tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Crispian St. Peters record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gerry Rafferty record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pere Ubu,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Bronski Beat,
Ice-T,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Soft Machine,
Spoonie Gee,
Brand Nubian,
X-Ray Spex,
The Searchers,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Robert Hood,
The Monks,
Altered Images,
Sonny Sharrock,
Saccharine Trust,
Basic Channel,
Television,
Interpol,
Anthony Braxton,
Blossom Toes,
Ronan,
Symarip,
Crash Course in Science,
Fela Kuti,
Jeff Lynne,
Donny Hathaway,
Camberwell Now,
Japan,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Babytalk,
Bobby Byrd,
Glenn Branca,
DJ Sneak,
the Human League,
Joe Smooth,
Mary Jane Girls,
Index,
Janne Schatter,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Laurel Aitken,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Ornette Coleman,
Girls At Our Best!,
Susan Cadogan,
Brothers Johnson,
OOIOO,
Tom Boy,
Minnie Riperton,
Circle Jerks,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Second Layer,
Sun City Girls,
The Trojans,
Kas Product,
Flash Fearless,
The Move,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Modern Lovers,
The Mojo Men,
Terrestrial Tones,
Bill Near,
Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front.
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.