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 Hungary 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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Manchester.
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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Kenny Larkin to the funk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Dark Day. All the underground hits.
All Reagan Youth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cure record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Vogues,
The Beau Brummels,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Tim Buckley,
Arcadia,
the Swans,
Ten City,
Guru Guru,
Supertramp,
Neil Young,
Eddi Front,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Music Machine,
Visage,
New Order,
Jawbox,
Dennis Brown,
The Busters,
The Sound,
Little Man,
Pantaleimon,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Barrington Levy,
Mo-Dettes,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
This Heat,
Rod Modell,
New Age Steppers,
Junior Murvin,
Au Pairs,
In Retrospect,
Man Eating Sloth,
Subhumans,
The Red Krayola,
Underground Resistance,
Cluster,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Parry Music,
Eve St. Jones,
Soul II Soul,
The Flesh Eaters,
Pole,
Con Funk Shun,
Todd Rundgren,
Avey Tare,
Barry Ungar,
FM Einheit,
John Holt,
La Düsseldorf,
Mars,
Bobby Womack,
Desert Stars,
Brass Construction,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Kevin Saunderson,
Camouflage,
Spandau Ballet,
Severed Heads,
The Blues Magoos, The Blues Magoos, The Blues Magoos, The Blues Magoos.
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.