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 Somalia and from Johannesburg.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Cymande to the grime kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Eric Copeland. All the underground hits.
All Unwound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Patti Smith 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Delta 5 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Silicon Teens,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Mandrill,
Cluster,
the Soft Cell,
The Happenings,
Fad Gadget,
Camouflage,
Pantaleimon,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Khruangbin,
Depeche Mode,
Sixth Finger,
Jerry's Kids,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Intrusion,
Urselle,
Girls At Our Best!,
Idris Muhammad,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Robert Görl,
Lungfish,
Tommy Roe,
The Standells,
Jeff Lynne,
Quantec,
Todd Terry,
Yellowson,
Fatback Band,
Ludus,
Kaleidoscope,
The Durutti Column,
The Gories,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
U.S. Maple,
Scientists,
The Fortunes,
Guru Guru,
Susan Cadogan,
Symarip,
Easy Going,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Jawbox,
Qualms,
Camberwell Now,
The Pretty Things,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
DJ Sneak,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Eden Ahbez,
8 Eyed Spy,
kango's stein massive,
The American Breed,
Agent Orange,
The Mummies,
Can,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Nik Kershaw, Nik Kershaw, Nik Kershaw, Nik Kershaw.
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.