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 Saudi Arabia and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 guitar 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 Silicon Teens to the funk 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 Derrick May. All the underground hits.
All Patti Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Justin Hinds & The Dominoes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Babytalk record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Lower 48,
CMW,
Sonny Sharrock,
Liliput,
Graham Central Station,
Man Parrish,
Ponytail,
Mad Mike,
Babytalk,
Terry Callier,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Barclay James Harvest,
Boz Scaggs,
Television,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Maurizio,
Spoonie Gee,
Basic Channel,
Pantaleimon,
EPMD,
Hardrive,
Aural Exciters,
New York Dolls,
The Monks,
the Human League,
Cameo,
Brass Construction,
Laurel Aitken,
Ronnie Foster,
The Offenders,
Kaleidoscope,
Black Flag,
Jacques Brel,
Pantytec,
Warsaw,
Lungfish,
Skriet,
Theoretical Girls,
The Divine Comedy,
Sarah Menescal,
T.S.O.L.,
Erykah Badu,
Black Bananas,
Soul II Soul,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Searchers,
Guru Guru,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Goldenarms,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
DJ Style,
Joy Division,
Cymande,
The Grass Roots,
Minny Pops,
James White and The Blacks,
Youth Brigade,
Flipper, Flipper, Flipper, Flipper.
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.