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 Tuvalu and from Bologna.
But I was there.
I was there in 1980.
I was there at the first Cybotron show in Detroit.
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 Philadelphia and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 marimba 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 L. Decosne to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Blossom Toes. All the underground hits.
All The Selecter tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kayak record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oblivians record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Grandmaster Flash,
The Fugs,
The Standells,
Tears for Fears,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Joyce Sims,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Whodini,
Average White Band,
The Beau Brummels,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
LL Cool J,
The Star Department,
Sarah Menescal,
Q65,
David McCallum,
The Seeds,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
the Fania All-Stars,
Idris Muhammad,
Buzzcocks,
Chrome,
Funkadelic,
The Gun Club,
Jeff Mills,
Bluetip,
Gichy Dan,
John Cale,
James White and The Blacks,
The Cure,
The Invisible,
Amazonics,
The Fortunes,
Bronski Beat,
Sugar Minott,
Thompson Twins,
Half Japanese,
D'Angelo,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Mojo Men,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Human League,
Alphaville,
Groovy Waters,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Camouflage,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Freddie Wadling,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Depeche Mode,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Sex Pistols,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Eric Copeland,
Skriet,
Royal Trux,
Gong,
Reagan Youth,
Scion,
Cybotron,
The Remains,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Fugazi, Fugazi, Fugazi, Fugazi.
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.