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 Tuvalu and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in 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 1969 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 mellotron 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 Wasted Youth to the rock 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 The Motions. All the underground hits.
All Bobby Hutcherson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every ABC 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lafayette Afro Rock Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Gun Club,
Anakelly,
Letta Mbulu,
Jacob Miller,
The Seeds,
Masters at Work,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Tubeway Army,
Deepchord,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
The Saints,
Agent Orange,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Jawbox,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Royal Trux,
Reuben Wilson,
Sparks,
Rufus Thomas,
the Human League,
Janne Schatter,
Q and Not U,
Morten Harket,
H. Thieme,
Flash Fearless,
Godley & Creme,
The Human League,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Howard Jones,
Drexciya,
Al Stewart,
Lucky Dragons,
DNA,
Livin' Joy,
Organ,
Derrick May,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Ohio Players,
Man Parrish,
The Kinks,
Lalann,
Tropical Tobacco,
Magazine,
Sight & Sound,
Cal Tjader,
Gang Green,
Brothers Johnson,
Ponytail,
Accadde A,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Mad Mike,
Monolake,
The Modern Lovers,
Sarah Menescal,
The New Christs,
Section 25,
Althea and Donna,
LL Cool J,
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.