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 Brunei and from Tokyo.
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 1962 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1976 at the first Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Little Man to the crunk 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 Joensuu 1685. All the underground hits.
All Lou Reed & Metallica tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Radiopuhelimet 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Banda Bassotti record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Mummies,
Freddie Wadling,
Zero Boys,
Gil Scott Heron,
Echospace,
Junior Murvin,
The Evens,
Bronski Beat,
Althea and Donna,
Mandrill,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Moleskins,
Sixth Finger,
Mark Hollis,
8 Eyed Spy,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Real Kids,
OOIOO,
Flamin' Groovies,
DJ Sneak,
Minny Pops,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Gap Band,
the Germs,
Ice-T,
Sparks,
Henry Cow,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Grandmaster Flash,
Neu!,
Arthur Verocai,
Bizarre Inc.,
Morten Harket,
Joy Division,
Lalo Schifrin,
K-Klass,
Circle Jerks,
Crime,
Bootsy Collins,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Steve Hackett,
The Techniques,
Gang Starr,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Grey Daturas,
Spoonie Gee,
Technova,
PIL,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Average White Band,
Ralphi Rosario,
Rhythm & Sound,
Cluster,
Trumans Water,
E-Dancer,
Pulsallama,
Scan 7,
Ten City,
Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar.
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.