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 Chad and from Seoul.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Calgary.
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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the oboe 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 Mary Jane Girls to the rock 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 Vladislav Delay. All the underground hits.
All Sonic Youth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Blancmange record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Niagra record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cybotron,
Metal Thangz,
Fatback Band,
Bluetip,
Scratch Acid,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The Searchers,
Black Sheep,
the Germs,
Yusef Lateef,
Bush Tetras,
John Cale,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Black Bananas,
Mars,
The Flesh Eaters,
Rufus Thomas,
Gichy Dan,
Hoover,
Japan,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Babytalk,
Connie Case,
Sight & Sound,
Buzzcocks,
Andrew Hill,
Zapp,
Flash Fearless,
Grauzone,
Suicide,
Unwound,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Negative Approach,
Amazonics,
Youth Brigade,
Juan Atkins,
The Red Krayola,
R.M.O.,
Bauhaus,
Main Source,
Boogie Down Productions,
The New Christs,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Names,
Lalann,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Chris Corsano,
Second Layer,
The Birthday Party,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Moleskins,
Livin' Joy,
Brand Nubian,
Maurizio,
The American Breed,
Wolf Eyes,
Jeff Lynne,
Alphaville,
Yaz,
Basic Channel,
Ice-T, Ice-T, Ice-T, Ice-T.
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.