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 Sweden and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Section 25 to the electroclash 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 Little Man. All the underground hits.
All The Associates tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Y Pants record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 guitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Flash Fearless record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Graham Central Station,
The Kinks,
The Associates,
Minny Pops,
Inner City,
Bauhaus,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Laurel Aitken,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Jacques Brel,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Angels of Light,
Sun City Girls,
Rod Modell,
Wasted Youth,
Easy Going,
This Heat,
Spandau Ballet,
Iggy Pop,
Joyce Sims,
Sight & Sound,
Gang Gang Dance,
Kool Moe Dee,
Moby Grape,
Pantaleimon,
Ronnie Foster,
Smog,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Don Cherry,
Kenny Larkin,
Lindisfarne,
Brand Nubian,
The J.B.'s,
The Fall,
The Gories,
Supertramp,
X-Ray Spex,
Organ,
John Holt,
The Modern Lovers,
Mr. Review,
The Doors,
Cybotron,
Surgeon,
Reuben Wilson,
Archie Shepp,
Guru Guru,
The Detroit Cobras,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Mantronix,
Dennis Brown,
Ohio Players,
Von Mondo,
Sun Ra,
F. McDonald,
Procol Harum,
Young Marble Giants,
Wings,
Amon Düül II,
Fatback Band,
Max Romeo, Max Romeo, Max Romeo, Max Romeo.
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.