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 Armenia and from Columbus.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Lagos.
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 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 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 Wolf Eyes to the rap 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 Cameo. All the underground hits.
All Rekid tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mission of Burma 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Notorious Big And Bone Thugs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gichy Dan,
Ituana,
Metal Thangz,
Mission of Burma,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Marcia Griffiths,
Duran Duran,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Arthur Verocai,
The Fortunes,
Circle Jerks,
Babytalk,
Gang Starr,
The Slits,
Amazonics,
Hot Snakes,
Dawn Penn,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Fall,
The Fire Engines,
Tres Demented,
The Last Poets,
X-101,
Quadrant,
Y Pants,
Desert Stars,
Gang of Four,
Jimmy McGriff,
Minor Threat,
Fort Wilson Riot,
OOIOO,
Wire,
Grey Daturas,
Goldenarms,
Smog,
the Swans,
Blancmange,
Ken Boothe,
the Normal,
Talk Talk,
kango's stein massive,
The Raincoats,
Rapeman,
Bill Wells,
The Monochrome Set,
Pole,
John Foxx,
The Zeros,
Panda Bear,
Piero Umiliani,
Mars,
Sight & Sound,
Spandau Ballet,
Peter and Kerry,
Malaria!,
F. McDonald,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Ossler,
The Seeds,
Susan Cadogan,
Harmonia,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside.
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.