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 Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1961 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 clarinet 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 Amazonics to the disco 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 Radio Birdman. All the underground hits.
All It's A Beautiful Day tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cosmic Jokers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Michelle Simonal record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Delon & Dalcan,
The Modern Lovers,
Nick Fraelich,
Big Daddy Kane,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Alton Ellis,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Walker Brothers,
One Last Wish,
Motorama,
Tres Demented,
Nation of Ulysses,
Bronski Beat,
LL Cool J,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Mantronix,
Massinfluence,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Fatback Band,
Royal Trux,
Dead Boys,
Albert Ayler,
Letta Mbulu,
Cybotron,
Monks,
Bob Dylan,
Joe Finger,
The Sonics,
Leonard Cohen,
Sarah Menescal,
Ice-T,
Chris & Cosey,
D'Angelo,
The Music Machine,
Aaron Thompson,
Rod Modell,
Skaos,
The Doobie Brothers,
Lee Hazlewood,
Judy Mowatt,
Ken Boothe,
Infiniti,
T. Rex,
Simply Red,
Desert Stars,
David Bowie,
Tommy Roe,
Goldenarms,
Television Personalities,
Crime,
B.T. Express,
Ronan,
The Red Krayola,
Rhythm & Sound,
Grauzone,
Amazonics,
Silicon Teens,
The Zeros,
Sex Pistols,
Depeche Mode,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Gastr Del Sol,
Henry Cow, Henry Cow, Henry Cow, Henry Cow.
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.