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 Peru and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 oboe 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 Skaos to the disco kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Fire Engines. All the underground hits.
All Sex Pistols tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Soft Cell 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oneida record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
New York Dolls,
Half Japanese,
The Leaves,
The Durutti Column,
The Gories,
Althea and Donna,
Kool Moe Dee,
Agent Orange,
Glenn Branca,
Kayak,
Excepter,
The Fire Engines,
the Normal,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Matthew Halsall,
Black Flag,
Barbara Tucker,
Bronski Beat,
E-Dancer,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Raincoats,
Avey Tare,
Eric Copeland,
Stetsasonic,
Charles Mingus,
Stiv Bators,
The Real Kids,
Graham Central Station,
Grey Daturas,
Curtis Mayfield,
Q65,
Interpol,
The Moleskins,
Arthur Verocai,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Cramps,
Tim Buckley,
Andrew Hill,
Eric B and Rakim,
DJ Style,
Yellowson,
Gong,
Dennis Brown,
The Invisible,
The Misunderstood,
Deepchord,
Josef K,
T. Rex,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Terry Callier,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Metal Thangz,
Bobby Sherman,
Silicon Teens,
Rekid,
Sällskapet,
Audionom,
The Dave Clark Five,
Magma,
Index,
Lou Christie, Lou Christie, Lou Christie, Lou Christie.
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.