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 Morocco and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in 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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Columbus.
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 oboe 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 Sonny Sharrock to the rock 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 a-ha. All the underground hits.
All Bluetip tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every LL Cool J 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Dennis Brown,
Reuben Wilson,
The Five Americans,
This Heat,
Gabor Szabo,
Zero Boys,
Ultravox,
New York Dolls,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Man Parrish,
The Cure,
Half Japanese,
The Golliwogs,
Pantaleimon,
Roger Hodgson,
Chris & Cosey,
The Happenings,
Harpers Bizarre,
Ludus,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Quando Quango,
Prince Buster,
Pere Ubu,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Black Moon,
Guru Guru,
Hasil Adkins,
Panda Bear,
The Saints,
Eddi Front,
Ornette Coleman,
Wally Richardson,
Shuggie Otis,
Sandy B,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Skarface,
Sam Rivers,
E-Dancer,
the Human League,
Leonard Cohen,
Organ,
Marcia Griffiths,
Cymande,
Glenn Branca,
Spandau Ballet,
Von Mondo,
Parry Music,
Accadde A,
X-Ray Spex,
Yellowson,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Minor Threat,
Jeff Mills,
Mr. Review,
Easy Going,
Circle Jerks,
Barclay James Harvest,
Scion,
Fifty Foot Hose, Fifty Foot Hose, Fifty Foot Hose, Fifty Foot Hose.
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.