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 Ivory Coast and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1963 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Cecil Taylor to the punk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Morten Harket. All the underground hits.
All Johnny Osbourne tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Glenn Branca record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gang Gang Dance record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scratch Acid,
Derrick Morgan,
Vainqueur,
Jeru the Damaja,
London Community Gospel Choir,
ABC,
The Moleskins,
Barbara Tucker,
David Bowie,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The Remains,
Livin' Joy,
Minnie Riperton,
Urselle,
Qualms,
The Grass Roots,
The Standells,
the Normal,
Ultravox,
Echospace,
The Selecter,
Soul Sonic Force,
Johnny Osbourne,
Davy DMX,
Yusef Lateef,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Gastr Del Sol,
Avey Tare,
Swell Maps,
Trumans Water,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Adolescents,
Banda Bassotti,
Darondo,
Matthew Halsall,
Porter Ricks,
Eli Mardock,
Camouflage,
Neu!,
Graham Central Station,
David Axelrod,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Michelle Simonal,
This Heat,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
T.S.O.L.,
David McCallum,
Marshall Jefferson,
Aswad,
Blake Baxter,
Amon Düül,
John Holt,
New Order,
Stiv Bators,
Youth Brigade,
Television,
China Crisis,
The Gories, The Gories, The Gories, The Gories.
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.