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 Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Chic show in New York.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 güiro 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 Television Personalities to the dance kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 June of 44. All the underground hits.
All The Flesh Eaters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Loose Ends record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 harpsichord and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Arcadia record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nik Kershaw,
The Golliwogs,
the Human League,
Janne Schatter,
Brick,
The Blues Magoos,
Lyres,
Albert Ayler,
The Associates,
Faust,
The Knickerbockers,
Sister Nancy,
a-ha,
The Five Americans,
Pagans,
Television,
Erykah Badu,
Terrestrial Tones,
Pet Shop Boys,
Section 25,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Carl Craig,
CMW,
Television Personalities,
Dark Day,
Average White Band,
KRS-One,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Moebius,
Black Sheep,
Archie Shepp,
Joy Division,
Fat Boys,
Wire,
Soul II Soul,
Iggy Pop,
Icehouse,
Von Mondo,
The Durutti Column,
Ossler,
Reagan Youth,
Prince Buster,
Bobby Byrd,
Funky Four + One,
The Remains,
These Immortal Souls,
Loose Ends,
Slick Rick,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Suicide,
Thee Headcoats,
The Buckinghams,
the Swans,
Bluetip,
Bad Manners,
Jawbox,
The Doors,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Kevin Saunderson,
Interpol, Interpol, Interpol, Interpol.
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.