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 Greece and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1963 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Nick Fraelich 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 Von Mondo. All the underground hits.
All Adolescents tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sex Pistols record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 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 Drive Like Jehu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Motions,
Tears for Fears,
Slave,
Japan,
Barrington Levy,
Stetsasonic,
Kaleidoscope,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
T. Rex,
the Slits,
Mark Hollis,
Schoolly D,
Roy Ayers,
Nas,
The Residents,
Freddie Wadling,
Anakelly,
Gastr Del Sol,
Zapp,
Simply Red,
Marvin Gaye,
Danielle Patucci,
Agitation Free,
ABC,
Marine Girls,
Flash Fearless,
The Litter,
Soulsonic Force,
Max Romeo,
Jacques Brel,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Hoover,
Junior Murvin,
Faust,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Scientists,
Slick Rick,
Average White Band,
Sun City Girls,
Quantec,
Sex Pistols,
Sight & Sound,
A Certain Ratio,
The Five Americans,
Index,
Little Man,
KRS-One,
Jeff Mills,
the Soft Cell,
Rapeman,
Radiohead,
The Offenders,
AZ,
PIL,
Fad Gadget,
CMW,
Lucky Dragons,
Thompson Twins,
Sonic Youth,
Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee.
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.