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 Singapore and from Shanghai.
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 1964 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 ABC to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Wolf Eyes. All the underground hits.
All Heaven 17 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Martian record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Star Department record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scientists,
Wire,
Alphaville,
Scan 7,
Tears for Fears,
The Real Kids,
Circle Jerks,
Wally Richardson,
Ituana,
a-ha,
Interpol,
Excepter,
The Smoke,
Brass Construction,
Arthur Verocai,
Dorothy Ashby,
Jawbox,
MDC,
The Gap Band,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Davy DMX,
Boredoms,
Gabor Szabo,
The Skatalites,
Lou Christie,
Barclay James Harvest,
Robert Görl,
Deakin,
Scratch Acid,
Todd Terry,
The Beau Brummels,
Au Pairs,
Harpers Bizarre,
Ten City,
Alison Limerick,
Oblivians,
Mark Hollis,
Nirvana,
Soft Machine,
Babytalk,
The Alarm Clocks,
T. Rex,
Trumans Water,
Soul Sonic Force,
Max Romeo,
Rhythm & Sound,
Easy Going,
Vladislav Delay,
Black Pus,
Mr. Review,
Technova,
John Foxx,
The Grass Roots,
Anthony Braxton,
the Human League,
Basic Channel,
Monks,
The Move,
Goldenarms,
Qualms,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
In Retrospect, In Retrospect, In Retrospect, In Retrospect.
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.