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 South Sudan and from Glasgow.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 Robert Palmer 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 The Misunderstood to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Barbara Tucker. All the underground hits.
All Kerri Chandler tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Angels of Light & Akron/Family 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jerry's Kids record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nico,
Marshall Jefferson,
Roxette,
Wings,
Kevin Saunderson,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Procol Harum,
Piero Umiliani,
Alphaville,
The Mummies,
Mo-Dettes,
Livin' Joy,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Eric Copeland,
Brothers Johnson,
Television,
Curtis Mayfield,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Leonard Cohen,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Little Man,
Mantronix,
Avey Tare,
EPMD,
DJ Sneak,
Godley & Creme,
kango's stein massive,
The Music Machine,
Buzzcocks,
The Star Department,
Hashim,
Tom Boy,
June of 44,
Bronski Beat,
Yaz,
Subhumans,
Masters at Work,
Ralphi Rosario,
Roy Ayers,
Amon Düül,
Ultravox,
Das Ding,
Tears for Fears,
The Five Americans,
Inner City,
Animal Collective,
Boogie Down Productions,
Crime,
48th St. Collective,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Real Kids,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Babytalk,
the Human League,
Donny Hathaway,
Tropical Tobacco,
Al Stewart,
Hardrive,
Ronan,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Raincoats,
Public Enemy,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Monolake, Monolake, Monolake, Monolake.
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.