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 Czech Republic and from Cairo.
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 1960 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Black Flag to the rap kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Divine Comedy. All the underground hits.
All Dual Sessions tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jimmy McGriff record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a World's Most record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jeff Lynne,
Throbbing Gristle,
Lower 48,
Tom Boy,
Marcia Griffiths,
Talk Talk,
Public Image Ltd.,
Angry Samoans,
Eddi Front,
Intrusion,
The Saints,
Wings,
Television Personalities,
This Heat,
The Detroit Cobras,
The Velvet Underground,
Brass Construction,
The Offenders,
Fad Gadget,
MDC,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Blancmange,
Juan Atkins,
Skaos,
John Lydon,
Lucky Dragons,
Howard Jones,
Crooked Eye,
Barry Ungar,
Scott Walker,
Cal Tjader,
Don Cherry,
Tears for Fears,
FM Einheit,
Sun City Girls,
The Black Dice,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Zero Boys,
Neil Young,
Pantaleimon,
Thompson Twins,
Rod Modell,
Fatback Band,
Sun Ra,
The Stooges,
Soft Cell,
48th St. Collective,
The Names,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
The Real Kids,
Alton Ellis,
Erykah Badu,
Thee Headcoats,
Electric Prunes,
Gang of Four,
Animal Collective,
Black Sheep,
Grandmaster Flash,
Boz Scaggs,
Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes.
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.