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 Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Birthday Party to the rock kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Litter. All the underground hits.
All The Saints tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every David Bowie record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 harpsichord and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a One Last Wish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Nas,
Kevin Saunderson,
Ponytail,
The Blackbyrds,
Visage,
Stiv Bators,
Interpol,
Scott Walker,
Grey Daturas,
Soul II Soul,
Fugazi,
F. McDonald,
Public Image Ltd.,
Ken Boothe,
Ronan,
Throbbing Gristle,
Warren Ellis,
Godley & Creme,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Index,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Sun City Girls,
Skriet,
K-Klass,
Anthony Braxton,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Fall,
a-ha,
Flash Fearless,
The Associates,
Michelle Simonal,
Country Teasers,
Gong,
Surgeon,
Japan,
Minnie Riperton,
Dark Day,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Harpers Bizarre,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Laurel Aitken,
Yazoo,
A Certain Ratio,
Marmalade,
X-101,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Negative Approach,
Electric Prunes,
June Days,
Jacob Miller,
Bob Dylan,
Morten Harket,
Jimmy McGriff,
Bobby Sherman,
Kas Product,
Bauhaus,
Kerri Chandler,
The Offenders,
The Barracudas,
Peter & Gordon,
Scientists,
Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario.
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.