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 Colombia and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 guitar 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 Popol Vuh to the jazz kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Godley & Creme. All the underground hits.
All Anthony Braxton tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lebanon Hanover 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Harpers Bizarre record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Black Sheep,
Barry Ungar,
Shuggie Otis,
Oneida,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Essential Logic,
the Soft Cell,
Zero Boys,
Ten City,
Girls At Our Best!,
Interpol,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Isaac Hayes,
Glambeats Corp.,
the Sonics,
X-Ray Spex,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Ludus,
Faraquet,
K-Klass,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Vogues,
Technova,
Andrew Hill,
Sun City Girls,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Sarah Menescal,
Mark Hollis,
John Coltrane,
Minor Threat,
The Beau Brummels,
Bobby Womack,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Joey Negro,
Icehouse,
Delon & Dalcan,
John Holt,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Soulsonic Force,
Visage,
Nick Fraelich,
The Gun Club,
Eli Mardock,
Todd Terry,
Malaria!,
Tim Buckley,
The Dirtbombs,
The Litter,
Aural Exciters,
Aaron Thompson,
Rufus Thomas,
Main Source,
Oblivians,
Lucky Dragons,
Matthew Bourne,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
B.T. Express,
June Days,
the Swans,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
David Bowie,
Loose Ends, Loose Ends, Loose Ends, Loose Ends.
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.