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 Trinidad & Tobago and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1980.
I was there at the first Cybotron show in Detroit.
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 1966 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 chamberlin 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 World's Most to the electroclash 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 MC5. All the underground hits.
All The Doors tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Cymande 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Marvin Gaye record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Cale,
The Busters,
The Smoke,
Con Funk Shun,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Oblivians,
Funky Four + One,
Prince Buster,
Young Marble Giants,
Tears for Fears,
Fugazi,
Scientists,
Simply Red,
Flash Fearless,
Los Fastidios,
James Chance & The Contortions,
PIL,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Youth Brigade,
Lindisfarne,
the Fania All-Stars,
Nils Olav,
Godley & Creme,
Infiniti,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Mummies,
Avey Tare,
T. Rex,
Lower 48,
Electric Prunes,
Jerry's Kids,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The Cowsills,
Average White Band,
Marshall Jefferson,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Saints,
One Last Wish,
UT,
Arcadia,
The Martian,
Sällskapet,
the Swans,
Big Daddy Kane,
Mo-Dettes,
Silicon Teens,
X-Ray Spex,
Crime,
Blancmange,
Slave,
Crooked Eye,
Popol Vuh,
Nas,
The Zeros,
Roger Hodgson,
Slick Rick,
Hasil Adkins,
Lalo Schifrin,
Absolute Body Control,
Tomorrow,
The Fire Engines, The Fire Engines, The Fire Engines, The Fire Engines.
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.