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 Ukraine and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Throbbing Gristle show in London.
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 1967 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Zeros to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. All the underground hits.
All Siglo XX tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Flamin' Groovies record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Crime,
Second Layer,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Vladislav Delay,
Panda Bear,
Ultravox,
Popol Vuh,
Soul Sonic Force,
Todd Rundgren,
Sparks,
Stiv Bators,
Wolf Eyes,
The Wake,
The Angels of Light,
Goldenarms,
Delta 5,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
DJ Style,
Glenn Branca,
Subhumans,
Desert Stars,
Lee Hazlewood,
Janne Schatter,
Absolute Body Control,
Brothers Johnson,
48th St. Collective,
Patti Smith,
Massinfluence,
Donny Hathaway,
Zapp,
Circle Jerks,
Groovy Waters,
Can,
The Toasters,
kango's stein massive,
PIL,
The Last Poets,
the Association,
Minny Pops,
One Last Wish,
Big Daddy Kane,
Pere Ubu,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Babytalk,
Gang Green,
Television Personalities,
Kool Moe Dee,
Joy Division,
ABC,
Young Marble Giants,
Dual Sessions,
Jeff Mills,
Sun City Girls,
Radiohead,
Parry Music,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Sex Pistols,
the Swans,
The Dirtbombs,
Lyres,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Searchers, The Searchers, The Searchers, The Searchers.
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.