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 Antigua and from Mexico City.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 marimba 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 Trumans Water to the rap 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 Boredoms. All the underground hits.
All Jeff Lynne tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Golliwogs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Stetsasonic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The American Breed,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Man Parrish,
Tommy Roe,
The Searchers,
Radiohead,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Seeds,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
PIL,
Chrome,
Half Japanese,
Talk Talk,
Yazoo,
James White and The Blacks,
8 Eyed Spy,
Mr. Review,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Sarah Menescal,
Simply Red,
Swans,
Kool Moe Dee,
Barbara Tucker,
DJ Style,
Bobby Byrd,
Girls At Our Best!,
a-ha,
Lee Hazlewood,
Masters at Work,
Alice Coltrane,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Eddi Front,
Gregory Isaacs,
Mantronix,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Bluetip,
Stiv Bators,
Maurizio,
Fat Boys,
Sex Pistols,
Scientists,
Piero Umiliani,
Quadrant,
Pet Shop Boys,
Amazonics,
The Litter,
Q and Not U,
Ten City,
Jeff Mills,
Parry Music,
Dark Day,
Ultimate Spinach,
Jeru the Damaja,
Public Enemy,
LL Cool J,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Flash Fearless,
Rakim,
Blake Baxter,
Franke,
Al Stewart, Al Stewart, Al Stewart, Al Stewart.
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.