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 Indonesia and from Manila.
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 1964 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 Holger Czukay 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 Prince Buster to the techno 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 Pharoah Sanders. All the underground hits.
All John Holt tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Technova 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 '80s.
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 Unwound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The United States of America,
Outsiders,
The Moleskins,
Quadrant,
Heaven 17,
Gong,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Supertramp,
Sun Ra,
Swell Maps,
Ronan,
Nas,
Joy Division,
Pantaleimon,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The New Christs,
Idris Muhammad,
Talk Talk,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Anakelly,
Alphaville,
Rapeman,
Little Man,
Jawbox,
The Red Krayola,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Von Mondo,
Arthur Verocai,
The Slits,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Eli Mardock,
Joey Negro,
Wings,
Barrington Levy,
Donny Hathaway,
Index,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Electric Prunes,
Cecil Taylor,
The Fugs,
Radiohead,
Negative Approach,
the Sonics,
Laurel Aitken,
The Wake,
Howard Jones,
Sonic Youth,
Max Romeo,
Scrapy,
Visage,
Loose Ends,
Connie Case,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Bauhaus,
Bobby Byrd,
Junior Murvin,
Letta Mbulu,
Eden Ahbez,
Altered Images,
Johnny Clarke,
One Last Wish,
Bizarre Inc., Bizarre Inc., Bizarre Inc., Bizarre Inc..
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.