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 Venezuela and from Edmonton.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 arpeggiator 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 Hardrive to the disco kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Residents. All the underground hits.
All Minnie Riperton tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gichy Dan record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Das Ding record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Real Kids,
The Zeros,
The Selecter,
The Remains,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Matthew Bourne,
Bad Manners,
Dual Sessions,
Schoolly D,
Blake Baxter,
The Pop Group,
The Searchers,
Wings,
The Misunderstood,
Gichy Dan,
Al Stewart,
Pierre Henry,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Judy Mowatt,
Thompson Twins,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Angry Samoans,
Wally Richardson,
Connie Case,
Basic Channel,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Invisible,
The Count Five,
Man Parrish,
Von Mondo,
Laurel Aitken,
Royal Trux,
Girls At Our Best!,
Arthur Verocai,
Erasure,
Subhumans,
Lightning Bolt,
One Last Wish,
Jeff Lynne,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
MC5,
Lindisfarne,
Sarah Menescal,
Flash Fearless,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Barry Ungar,
Marine Girls,
Susan Cadogan,
L. Decosne,
Amon Düül II,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Black Moon,
Cymande,
The Star Department,
June of 44,
Zapp,
Sam Rivers,
Jacques Brel,
Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman.
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.