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 South Sudan and from Hong Kong.
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 1962 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Nirvana to the dance 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 Vladislav Delay. All the underground hits.
All Spoonie Gee tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lucky Dragons record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 synthesizer and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pharoah Sanders record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Thompson Twins,
Camouflage,
Spoonie Gee,
X-102,
The Names,
The Birthday Party,
Theoretical Girls,
Toni Rubio,
Boz Scaggs,
Gang Green,
Black Flag,
Fluxion,
Mary Jane Girls,
Steve Hackett,
The Index,
Rapeman,
Nick Fraelich,
Angry Samoans,
Todd Rundgren,
Parry Music,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Kas Product,
Sight & Sound,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Nation of Ulysses,
Niagra,
Procol Harum,
Loose Ends,
Patti Smith,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Motorama,
The Slits,
Glambeats Corp.,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Dave Clark Five,
Bill Wells,
Porter Ricks,
Au Pairs,
The Velvet Underground,
T. Rex,
Skarface,
The Busters,
Kevin Saunderson,
In Retrospect,
Duran Duran,
Lebanon Hanover,
Bobby Sherman,
Henry Cow,
Masters at Work,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Blake Baxter,
Mars,
The Techniques,
Lou Christie,
Minnie Riperton,
The Victims,
Al Stewart,
Gil Scott Heron,
Scrapy,
Soul Sonic Force,
Siglo XX,
Khruangbin,
Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas.
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.