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 Turkmenistan and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Jesper Dahlbäck to the funk 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 Mandrill. All the underground hits.
All The Dead C tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every a-ha record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gregory Isaacs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Swans,
Pierre Henry,
cv313,
Letta Mbulu,
Rufus Thomas,
Angry Samoans,
Throbbing Gristle,
Blancmange,
Groovy Waters,
Bizarre Inc.,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Swans,
Nils Olav,
Marvin Gaye,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Motorama,
Rakim,
Scrapy,
Kurtis Blow,
The Detroit Cobras,
The Happenings,
DNA,
Minny Pops,
One Last Wish,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Visage,
Q and Not U,
Soulsonic Force,
Boz Scaggs,
The American Breed,
Bill Near,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Marmalade,
Soul Sonic Force,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Connie Case,
Little Man,
Man Parrish,
Magazine,
Sam Rivers,
Urselle,
Judy Mowatt,
Niagra,
The Martian,
The Litter,
Peter and Kerry,
Nick Fraelich,
Fugazi,
the Human League,
Das Ding,
KRS-One,
The Associates,
The Smoke,
Drive Like Jehu,
Mantronix,
John Holt,
Warsaw,
The Durutti Column,
Flash Fearless,
The Toasters,
Gang Green,
Black Sheep,
Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons.
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.