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 Ireland and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Surgeon to the rap 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 Underground Resistance. All the underground hits.
All Sound Behaviour tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Angry Samoans record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Unwound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Henry Cow,
Minutemen,
Drive Like Jehu,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Alice Coltrane,
Sister Nancy,
Roxy Music,
Ice-T,
Babytalk,
CMW,
Cybotron,
Magazine,
Brand Nubian,
Aswad,
Maurizio,
Cal Tjader,
Supertramp,
Monks,
Bronski Beat,
Joe Finger,
Ten City,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Janne Schatter,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Pulsallama,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Martian,
The Offenders,
Negative Approach,
The Wake,
The Smiths,
The J.B.'s,
Piero Umiliani,
Das Ding,
Godley & Creme,
Sam Rivers,
June of 44,
Hoover,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Misunderstood,
Pharoah Sanders,
Easy Going,
Throbbing Gristle,
AZ,
The Vogues,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Todd Rundgren,
Eric B and Rakim,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Newcleus,
Swell Maps,
Swans,
Fear,
Mr. Review,
Inner City,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Lalo Schifrin,
Howard Jones,
Amazonics, Amazonics, Amazonics, Amazonics.
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.