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 Maldives and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 808 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 Urselle to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Model 500. All the underground hits.
All Mission of Burma tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every MC5 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Names record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Slits,
Babytalk,
Drive Like Jehu,
Barclay James Harvest,
Warren Ellis,
Steve Hackett,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Bobby Womack,
Soft Cell,
Simply Red,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
the Sonics,
Excepter,
Mission of Burma,
Tears for Fears,
Minnie Riperton,
Jawbox,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
A Certain Ratio,
Whodini,
Camberwell Now,
Godley & Creme,
Average White Band,
Jeff Mills,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Flesh Eaters,
Bobby Sherman,
Lower 48,
The Misunderstood,
Eddi Front,
Fad Gadget,
The Modern Lovers,
Aswad,
Graham Central Station,
PIL,
Vainqueur,
Pulsallama,
Moss Icon,
Gichy Dan,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
R.M.O.,
Zero Boys,
Wally Richardson,
Joey Negro,
Soul Sonic Force,
Ken Boothe,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Matthew Halsall,
Neil Young,
Easy Going,
The Detroit Cobras,
David McCallum,
Michelle Simonal,
Sexual Harrassment,
Dead Boys,
Yellowson,
Ultravox,
Warsaw,
Au Pairs,
Boredoms, Boredoms, Boredoms, Boredoms.
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.