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 Woodstock.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 808 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 Bill Near to the disco 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 Bill Wells. All the underground hits.
All Wolf Eyes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pulsallama record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 clarinet and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Scientists record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Five Americans,
FM Einheit,
Derrick May,
Nas,
Severed Heads,
Accadde A,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Modern Lovers,
Eurythmics,
Yusef Lateef,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Misunderstood,
Siglo XX,
Spoonie Gee,
T.S.O.L.,
Soulsonic Force,
Boz Scaggs,
Q65,
Rakim,
Motorama,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Erykah Badu,
The Red Krayola,
X-102,
Drive Like Jehu,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
AZ,
Circle Jerks,
Reagan Youth,
The Evens,
K-Klass,
Dark Day,
Byron Stingily,
Skaos,
Desert Stars,
Rekid,
Angry Samoans,
Warsaw,
Sam Rivers,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Morten Harket,
Tommy Roe,
June Days,
Lou Christie,
Niagra,
Skarface,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Mo-Dettes,
The Happenings,
Camberwell Now,
The Blues Magoos,
Laurel Aitken,
Derrick Morgan,
Scientists,
Oneida,
Darondo,
Moebius,
JFA,
Das Ding,
Deakin, Deakin, Deakin, Deakin.
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.