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 Togo and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Throbbing Gristle show in London.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Sparks to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Last Poets. All the underground hits.
All The Saints tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Skaos 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Leonard Cohen record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Evens,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Popol Vuh,
Massinfluence,
Byron Stingily,
Charles Mingus,
Iggy Pop,
Althea and Donna,
Kenny Larkin,
Soul II Soul,
Colin Newman,
Davy DMX,
Sugar Minott,
Quando Quango,
Lou Christie,
Aural Exciters,
Howard Jones,
Jerry Gold Smith,
John Holt,
Technova,
Tomorrow,
Crispian St. Peters,
Clear Light,
The Divine Comedy,
Hashim,
Nico,
Bluetip,
Wire,
Archie Shepp,
A Certain Ratio,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Procol Harum,
Pierre Henry,
Newcleus,
Moebius,
Surgeon,
Grey Daturas,
The Birthday Party,
Flash Fearless,
Marvin Gaye,
The Count Five,
Make Up,
Bizarre Inc.,
Mars,
Bobby Sherman,
Glenn Branca,
Skaos,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Prince Buster,
Agitation Free,
Marc Almond,
Anakelly,
The Wake,
The Selecter,
Intrusion,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Eden Ahbez,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Marmalade,
Ronan,
the Association,
Yaz, Yaz, Yaz, Yaz.
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.