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 Ukraine and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
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 1963 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Gregory Isaacs to the disco 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 Tremeloes. All the underground hits.
All Technova tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Agitation Free record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 linndrum and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Adolescents,
Kurtis Blow,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Grass Roots,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Qualms,
In Retrospect,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
One Last Wish,
Thompson Twins,
Yusef Lateef,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Names,
Henry Cow,
The Stooges,
Hashim,
JFA,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Bob Dylan,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Smoke,
Essential Logic,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Kool Moe Dee,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Spandau Ballet,
Lalo Schifrin,
Robert Wyatt,
Youth Brigade,
Oblivians,
Anthony Braxton,
Rapeman,
Bronski Beat,
Main Source,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Slave,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Bad Manners,
Gang Green,
Fugazi,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Terry Callier,
10cc,
Stockholm Monsters,
Hardrive,
Bang On A Can,
Von Mondo,
Don Cherry,
Isaac Hayes,
Bluetip,
Radio Birdman,
Kaleidoscope,
U.S. Maple,
Ornette Coleman,
Howard Jones,
Mars,
Cal Tjader,
Anakelly,
Delta 5,
Janne Schatter,
Young Marble Giants, Young Marble Giants, Young Marble Giants, Young Marble Giants.
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.