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 Bolivia and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 güiro 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 The Mummies to the disco kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Zapp. All the underground hits.
All Wire tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radiohead record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lungfish,
Joy Division,
Joe Finger,
Adolescents,
Agent Orange,
Wasted Youth,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Sällskapet,
Funkadelic,
Visage,
Jacob Miller,
T.S.O.L.,
E-Dancer,
The Sonics,
Gong,
Fluxion,
Scott Walker,
Blake Baxter,
Eden Ahbez,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Royal Trux,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Isaac Hayes,
Gastr Del Sol,
Peter & Gordon,
the Human League,
Reuben Wilson,
Crime,
Brick,
Arab on Radar,
Stiv Bators,
Panda Bear,
Sandy B,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Technova,
Joe Smooth,
Pussy Galore,
The Tremeloes,
Smog,
The Evens,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Electric Prunes,
Ralphi Rosario,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Pere Ubu,
Youth Brigade,
Hardrive,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Monks,
Magazine,
Max Romeo,
Dual Sessions,
Shuggie Otis,
China Crisis,
Johnny Clarke,
Bootsy Collins,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
John Cale,
The Offenders,
Jandek, Jandek, Jandek, Jandek.
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.