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 Sweden and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 Accra and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 Tom Verlaine 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 Derrick Morgan to the techno kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Seeds. All the underground hits.
All Jeru the Damaja tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gary Puckett & The Union Gap record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 linndrum and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Machine record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Electric Light Orchestra,
Crash Course in Science,
Half Japanese,
Subhumans,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Gong,
Von Mondo,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Tears for Fears,
David Bowie,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Gichy Dan,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Blues Magoos,
a-ha,
Mandrill,
Maleditus Sound,
Colin Newman,
Althea and Donna,
Gang of Four,
X-101,
Lou Reed,
Hardrive,
Brothers Johnson,
Franke,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Y Pants,
The Index,
The Invisible,
Alphaville,
Boogie Down Productions,
Delon & Dalcan,
Black Flag,
Ultravox,
Sound Behaviour,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Gladiators,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Pantaleimon,
Skaos,
Ronan,
Glenn Branca,
Bauhaus,
Terry Callier,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
In Retrospect,
Sarah Menescal,
Skriet,
Yaz,
Can,
Soul Sonic Force,
Faraquet,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Standells,
Marc Almond,
Los Fastidios,
The Monks,
New Age Steppers,
Lakeside,
EPMD,
Roy Ayers,
X-102,
Prince Buster,
Agitation Free, Agitation Free, Agitation Free, Agitation Free.
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.