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 Kazakhstan and from Tehran.
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 1968 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 DNA to the techno kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Qualms. All the underground hits.
All Althea and Donna tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Spoonie Gee record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
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 Major Organ And The Adding Machine record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lou Christie,
The American Breed,
The Invisible,
Delta 5,
Drive Like Jehu,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Vogues,
Freddie Wadling,
The Beau Brummels,
Bang On A Can,
The Neon Judgement,
The Litter,
Unwound,
The Real Kids,
Tomorrow,
Arcadia,
Panda Bear,
Glambeats Corp.,
Black Sheep,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Fluxion,
the Normal,
Roger Hodgson,
Sister Nancy,
The Durutti Column,
Los Fastidios,
The Fall,
Second Layer,
Lightning Bolt,
Colin Newman,
Robert Görl,
Kerrie Biddell,
Cameo,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Amon Düül,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Bill Near,
Quantec,
Vainqueur,
Black Bananas,
New York Dolls,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Happenings,
Gang Green,
Flamin' Groovies,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Moby Grape,
Absolute Body Control,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Fortunes,
Sun City Girls,
Eric B and Rakim,
Wally Richardson,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Make Up,
Soulsonic Force,
Swans,
Sarah Menescal,
Harpers Bizarre,
Kenny Larkin,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Blake Baxter,
Ludus,
Scan 7,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx, Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx, Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx, Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx.
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.