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 Cameroon 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 1965 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 güiro 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 Banda Bassotti to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Erykah Badu. All the underground hits.
All Ken Boothe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Duran Duran 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Chrome record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Vainqueur,
Ten City,
Junior Murvin,
Bush Tetras,
Thee Headcoats,
Kenny Larkin,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Grass Roots,
Radiopuhelimet,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Nik Kershaw,
Lucky Dragons,
Derrick May,
the Normal,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Oblivians,
Jacob Miller,
The Sound,
Intrusion,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Television Personalities,
New York Dolls,
the Human League,
DJ Style,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Amon Düül II,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Fortunes,
Rod Modell,
Warren Ellis,
Chris & Cosey,
Cheater Slicks,
Swell Maps,
Leonard Cohen,
Das Ding,
Moby Grape,
Prince Buster,
Roger Hodgson,
The Star Department,
Desert Stars,
Au Pairs,
Brass Construction,
Half Japanese,
Joe Smooth,
Malaria!,
Maleditus Sound,
Flash Fearless,
Royal Trux,
New Age Steppers,
Subhumans,
Judy Mowatt,
Blake Baxter,
Ossler,
8 Eyed Spy,
John Cale,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Jacques Brel,
James White and The Blacks,
Porter Ricks,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Little Man, Little Man, Little Man, Little Man.
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.