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 Uzbekistan and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 linndrum 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 The Stooges to the punk 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 Ossler. All the underground hits.
All Can tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Franke record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gregory Isaacs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Kas Product,
Roxette,
Tears for Fears,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The United States of America,
Junior Murvin,
The Happenings,
UT,
Lou Christie,
Alphaville,
Lower 48,
Max Romeo,
The Monks,
Black Bananas,
Grauzone,
Joy Division,
U.S. Maple,
Howard Jones,
Crispian St. Peters,
The American Breed,
La Düsseldorf,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Roy Ayers,
Moebius,
Lebanon Hanover,
Sarah Menescal,
Dark Day,
Man Eating Sloth,
Bad Manners,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Groovy Waters,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Soft Cell,
Arthur Verocai,
The Pretty Things,
Pantytec,
Scan 7,
Byron Stingily,
James White and The Blacks,
Warsaw,
Duran Duran,
Iggy Pop,
Amon Düül,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Franke,
a-ha,
Wings,
Yellowson,
The Stooges,
Frankie Knuckles,
Eve St. Jones,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
This Heat,
Minnie Riperton,
Scrapy,
Crispy Ambulance,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Grey Daturas,
Oblivians, Oblivians, Oblivians, Oblivians.
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.