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 Marshall Islands and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1980.
I was there at the first Cybotron show in Detroit.
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 1962 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Zapp to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Barry Ungar. All the underground hits.
All Model 500 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Smiths record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lucky Dragons record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Monks,
The Techniques,
Henry Cow,
Rufus Thomas,
The Fall,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Lindisfarne,
Nico,
Ornette Coleman,
Barrington Levy,
Byron Stingily,
June of 44,
Rhythm & Sound,
Gang Starr,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Dirtbombs,
The Kinks,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
MDC,
K-Klass,
Pharoah Sanders,
Von Mondo,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Divine Comedy,
The American Breed,
Lalann,
David Axelrod,
Popol Vuh,
James White and The Blacks,
Basic Channel,
Yusef Lateef,
Glenn Branca,
Rod Modell,
The Golliwogs,
Harry Pussy,
Dennis Brown,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Cal Tjader,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Soul Sonic Force,
Section 25,
X-101,
kango's stein massive,
The Barracudas,
Royal Trux,
World's Most,
Pierre Henry,
The Leaves,
Brass Construction,
Stockholm Monsters,
Amon Düül II,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
The Standells,
R.M.O.,
Jeff Lynne,
Eve St. Jones,
The Monochrome Set,
Motorama,
Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro.
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.