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 Benin and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 Captain Beefheart 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 The Men They Couldn't Hang to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Slits. All the underground hits.
All Unwound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Reagan Youth 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Scratch Acid record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gong,
Grey Daturas,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
MDC,
ABBA,
Inner City,
Gil Scott Heron,
Lyres,
Minutemen,
Alice Coltrane,
Lucky Dragons,
Byron Stingily,
Spandau Ballet,
Kenny Larkin,
Davy DMX,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Cramps,
Sun Ra,
Morten Harket,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Tropical Tobacco,
New Order,
Gang Starr,
Bronski Beat,
Amon Düül II,
The Neon Judgement,
Funky Four + One,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Sandy B,
Susan Cadogan,
The Fortunes,
Kerrie Biddell,
Dave Gahan,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Graham Central Station,
Accadde A,
Jeff Lynne,
Dennis Brown,
Derrick May,
PIL,
The Durutti Column,
Negative Approach,
Hasil Adkins,
Darondo,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Prince Buster,
Boz Scaggs,
The Real Kids,
The Invisible,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Pole,
The Golliwogs,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Brand Nubian,
Stockholm Monsters,
KRS-One,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Remains,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Monolake,
Chris & Cosey,
Rakim,
The Detroit Cobras, The Detroit Cobras, The Detroit Cobras, The Detroit Cobras.
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.