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 Ghana and from Manchester.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Mumbai.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Nico to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Loose Ends. All the underground hits.
All Blossom Toes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sexual Harrassment record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Eli Mardock record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
New Age Steppers,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Wire,
Minnie Riperton,
Monks,
The Dead C,
The Gun Club,
Donny Hathaway,
Pharoah Sanders,
The Birthday Party,
Altered Images,
The Moleskins,
Radiopuhelimet,
Gichy Dan,
Skarface,
Deadbeat,
Marvin Gaye,
Roxy Music,
Hashim,
These Immortal Souls,
Malaria!,
Swans,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Flesh Eaters,
Black Flag,
Joey Negro,
Godley & Creme,
Boredoms,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Brothers Johnson,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Nas,
Jacob Miller,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Fire Engines,
Kayak,
Grandmaster Flash,
Rakim,
Cal Tjader,
B.T. Express,
Byron Stingily,
MDC,
Pantytec,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Gap Band,
The Divine Comedy,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Carl Craig,
Jeru the Damaja,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Pylon,
Dead Boys,
Ohio Players,
Black Bananas,
The Offenders,
Harmonia,
the Germs,
F. McDonald,
Todd Terry,
The Five Americans,
Fugazi, Fugazi, Fugazi, Fugazi.
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.