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 Tajikistan and from Delhi.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the 808 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 Bronski Beat to the jazz 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 Magazine. All the underground hits.
All The Grass Roots tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pagans record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Monks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Donny Hathaway,
Reagan Youth,
Cybotron,
Traffic Nightmare,
Blake Baxter,
Excepter,
Royal Trux,
Make Up,
ABBA,
The Techniques,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The New Christs,
Deakin,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Colin Newman,
Von Mondo,
Pylon,
Spandau Ballet,
Harry Pussy,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Joensuu 1685,
Dark Day,
Metal Thangz,
The Angels of Light,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Fortunes,
Unwound,
Jeff Lynne,
Flash Fearless,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
JFA,
Max Romeo,
Main Source,
Amon Düül II,
The Knickerbockers,
The Cowsills,
John Holt,
Sällskapet,
Eric Copeland,
The Sound,
Aural Exciters,
The Pop Group,
Radiohead,
The Remains,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Graham Central Station,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Glambeats Corp.,
Avey Tare,
Outsiders,
Moss Icon,
A Certain Ratio,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Yusef Lateef,
AZ, AZ, AZ, AZ.
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.