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 Suriname and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 Donald Fagen 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 Curtis Mayfield 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 Pussy Galore. All the underground hits.
All Max Romeo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Dirtbombs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a rhodes 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 arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Motions,
The Buckinghams,
Goldenarms,
Visage,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Mars,
John Foxx,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Connie Case,
the Slits,
Robert Görl,
The Residents,
Gabor Szabo,
Swans,
Kenny Larkin,
Liliput,
the Normal,
Wally Richardson,
The Fall,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Index,
OOIOO,
Subhumans,
Ludus,
the Human League,
Juan Atkins,
Con Funk Shun,
Boredoms,
Youth Brigade,
Albert Ayler,
David Bowie,
Underground Resistance,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Fire Engines,
R.M.O.,
Quando Quango,
Sarah Menescal,
Pere Ubu,
The Zeros,
Buzzcocks,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Doors,
The Doobie Brothers,
AZ,
Bobby Byrd,
a-ha,
Unrelated Segments,
The Cure,
Dual Sessions,
Icehouse,
Gichy Dan,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Joe Finger,
Matthew Bourne,
B.T. Express,
Deakin,
Erasure,
Agitation Free,
The Beau Brummels,
UT, UT, UT, UT.
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.