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 India and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Sao Paulo.
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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Inner City to the dance 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 Symarip. All the underground hits.
All Bill Wells tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every June Days record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a the Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Moby Grape,
Mandrill,
The Smoke,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Urselle,
Hoover,
Buzzcocks,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Brand Nubian,
China Crisis,
Joey Negro,
Nation of Ulysses,
Mr. Review,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Sound,
The Red Krayola,
Youth Brigade,
Nas,
John Lydon,
Ronnie Foster,
Franke,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Scientists,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Yazoo,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Excepter,
Quadrant,
Sarah Menescal,
LL Cool J,
Lightning Bolt,
Jesper Dahlback,
Bizarre Inc.,
Johnny Osbourne,
Flash Fearless,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Ten City,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Ponytail,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Technova,
Faraquet,
Pulsallama,
MDC,
Nik Kershaw,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Rakim,
Pet Shop Boys,
Shoche,
Sonic Youth,
Porter Ricks,
Arthur Verocai,
Inner City,
Fat Boys,
Second Layer,
The Gladiators,
Soul Sonic Force,
Nico,
Section 25, Section 25, Section 25, Section 25.
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.