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 Korea South and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1962 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Count Five to the funk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Idris Muhammad. All the underground hits.
All Jandek tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every kango's stein massive 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Index record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
L. Decosne,
Ronan,
Aural Exciters,
The Gun Club,
Adolescents,
Sandy B,
R.M.O.,
Letta Mbulu,
Lindisfarne,
Anakelly,
Donny Hathaway,
Bob Dylan,
Delta 5,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Animal Collective,
Can,
Donald Byrd,
Jeru the Damaja,
Rhythm & Sound,
Average White Band,
Ronnie Foster,
8 Eyed Spy,
Fluxion,
Desert Stars,
Cymande,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Skarface,
Kool Moe Dee,
PIL,
Joe Smooth,
Symarip,
Amon Düül II,
Brick,
The Moody Blues,
Roy Ayers,
Dave Gahan,
The Beau Brummels,
Malaria!,
The Pretty Things,
The Toasters,
Underground Resistance,
The Smoke,
Intrusion,
Bauhaus,
Isaac Hayes,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Siglo XX,
U.S. Maple,
Nils Olav,
Absolute Body Control,
Dennis Brown,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Boogie Down Productions,
Chris & Cosey,
Eve St. Jones,
EPMD,
the Germs,
Kevin Saunderson,
Deakin,
Judy Mowatt,
Henry Cow,
The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood.
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.