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 Cyprus and from Taipei.
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 Glasgow and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 ABBA to the dance 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 Pierre Henry. All the underground hits.
All Fatback Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Grauzone record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Arab on Radar 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?
Flash Fearless,
Goldenarms,
Kaleidoscope,
Sarah Menescal,
Angry Samoans,
Marvin Gaye,
U.S. Maple,
Max Romeo,
Brass Construction,
Tim Buckley,
Negative Approach,
Joy Division,
Absolute Body Control,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Delta 5,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Iggy Pop,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Tremeloes,
Popol Vuh,
Darondo,
Clear Light,
A Certain Ratio,
Sexual Harrassment,
Zapp,
Scion,
Fear,
Brick,
New Order,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Los Fastidios,
Loose Ends,
Hasil Adkins,
Japan,
Underground Resistance,
Oblivians,
The Saints,
Black Sheep,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Dawn Penn,
New York Dolls,
Eurythmics,
David Bowie,
Piero Umiliani,
Johnny Osbourne,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Kerrie Biddell,
Alison Limerick,
K-Klass,
The Flesh Eaters,
Big Daddy Kane,
Tropical Tobacco,
Y Pants,
H. Thieme,
Hashim,
Quantec,
Chris Corsano,
Hoover,
The Happenings,
Ituana,
Connie Case,
The Divine Comedy, The Divine Comedy, The Divine Comedy, The Divine Comedy.
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.