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 South Africa and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1961 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 Nile Rodgers 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 Wally Richardson to the disco kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Procol Harum. All the underground hits.
All Theoretical Girls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Cal Tjader record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 spring reverb and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a ABBA record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Leonard Cohen,
Essential Logic,
Chris Corsano,
Sight & Sound,
The Five Americans,
The Doobie Brothers,
Dual Sessions,
Roger Hodgson,
Bootsy Collins,
Kenny Larkin,
Arcadia,
the Human League,
ABBA,
The Mummies,
Matthew Halsall,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Harry Pussy,
Eddi Front,
Mo-Dettes,
The Real Kids,
The Zeros,
Whodini,
H. Thieme,
Eric B and Rakim,
Y Pants,
Shuggie Otis,
Johnny Osbourne,
Angry Samoans,
X-101,
Ituana,
Reuben Wilson,
Joyce Sims,
The Fortunes,
Rufus Thomas,
June of 44,
Gichy Dan,
Fad Gadget,
the Fania All-Stars,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Robert Görl,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
The Black Dice,
Minnie Riperton,
The Gap Band,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Black Bananas,
Gerry Rafferty,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Patti Smith,
Marshall Jefferson,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Darondo,
Sandy B,
Black Moon,
Popol Vuh,
Stockholm Monsters,
Agent Orange,
The Toasters,
Jeff Lynne, Jeff Lynne, Jeff Lynne, Jeff Lynne.
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.