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 Guatemala and from New York.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 New York Dolls to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Harmonia. All the underground hits.
All Cecil Taylor tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ohio Players 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ossler record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb 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 Golliwogs,
Goldenarms,
Cybotron,
Arcadia,
Barry Ungar,
Sugar Minott,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
The Happenings,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Aaron Thompson,
Bobby Byrd,
ABC,
Donny Hathaway,
Mandrill,
Moss Icon,
Organ,
Lightning Bolt,
Nik Kershaw,
The New Christs,
The Names,
Pussy Galore,
Malaria!,
Ituana,
The Raincoats,
Jerry's Kids,
The Moleskins,
Yazoo,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Howard Jones,
Quadrant,
Unwound,
Skaos,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Monochrome Set,
The Busters,
The Leaves,
T. Rex,
Glenn Branca,
the Association,
Nick Fraelich,
Minny Pops,
The Associates,
The Real Kids,
Jesper Dahlback,
Skriet,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Music Machine,
The Mummies,
Althea and Donna,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Buckinghams,
Angry Samoans,
Tears for Fears,
Silicon Teens,
Bobby Womack,
Lyres,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Lalo Schifrin,
Joyce Sims,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Eric Dolphy, Eric Dolphy, Eric Dolphy, Eric Dolphy.
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.