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 Philippines and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1967 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 theremin 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 Lou Reed & John Cale to the funk 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 Man Parrish. All the underground hits.
All Pylon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tomorrow record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Teenage Jesus and the Jerks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Minor Threat,
Black Pus,
Faraquet,
John Cale,
Technova,
Wolf Eyes,
Tubeway Army,
One Last Wish,
Scion,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Seeds,
The Divine Comedy,
Lee Hazlewood,
Sam Rivers,
Neu!,
The Neon Judgement,
Soul Sonic Force,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Jacob Miller,
Warsaw,
Fatback Band,
Jeff Mills,
Desert Stars,
Country Teasers,
James White and The Blacks,
Chrome,
Infiniti,
Roy Ayers,
Radio Birdman,
Radiohead,
Procol Harum,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Detroit Cobras,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Evens,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Bad Manners,
Eyeless In Gaza,
H. Thieme,
David Axelrod,
Minnie Riperton,
Judy Mowatt,
LL Cool J,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Tropical Tobacco,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Swell Maps,
Peter & Gordon,
Deadbeat,
Average White Band,
Das Ding,
Angry Samoans,
Eric B and Rakim,
Marvin Gaye,
Warren Ellis,
Nico,
Pylon,
Mars,
Electric Light Orchestra,
David Bowie, David Bowie, David Bowie, David Bowie.
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.