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 Hungary and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Das Ding to the dance kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Eli Mardock. All the underground hits.
All Tom Boy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Warsaw record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ice-T record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Derrick May,
Vainqueur,
Young Marble Giants,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Warren Ellis,
Radio Birdman,
Joensuu 1685,
Sam Rivers,
Fat Boys,
The Divine Comedy,
Funky Four + One,
The Slits,
Smog,
John Foxx,
Metal Thangz,
Todd Rundgren,
The Knickerbockers,
Nas,
Lalann,
Ituana,
Cecil Taylor,
Faraquet,
Pantytec,
Camberwell Now,
Buzzcocks,
Lebanon Hanover,
Charles Mingus,
D'Angelo,
It's A Beautiful Day,
10cc,
Monolake,
Colin Newman,
Barrington Levy,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Joy Division,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Rekid,
Ohio Players,
Bad Manners,
Leonard Cohen,
Quantec,
The Remains,
Echospace,
The Mojo Men,
The Modern Lovers,
Swans,
Rakim,
The Names,
The Seeds,
Michelle Simonal,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Loose Ends,
Tim Buckley,
Sugar Minott,
Panda Bear,
Little Man,
Los Fastidios,
Jacques Brel,
The Cramps,
Terry Callier, Terry Callier, Terry Callier, Terry Callier.
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.