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 Nigeria and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1962 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 ABC to the rock kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Brothers Johnson. All the underground hits.
All Justin Hinds & The Dominoes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Urselle record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 sitar and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joyce Sims record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Monolake,
The Skatalites,
Tubeway Army,
Silicon Teens,
The Black Dice,
The Martian,
Johnny Clarke,
Pussy Galore,
Deepchord,
Pharoah Sanders,
Kayak,
Pet Shop Boys,
Howard Jones,
Derrick Morgan,
The Monochrome Set,
Erasure,
Jacob Miller,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Mummies,
E-Dancer,
A Certain Ratio,
Alison Limerick,
The Evens,
Ralphi Rosario,
Grey Daturas,
Soul II Soul,
Lyres,
The Five Americans,
Yusef Lateef,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Barry Ungar,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Eric Copeland,
the Fania All-Stars,
Interpol,
Steve Hackett,
The Shadows of Knight,
L. Decosne,
DJ Style,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Aaron Thompson,
Eddi Front,
The Blues Magoos,
Anakelly,
Pere Ubu,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Yaz,
Bobby Sherman,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Flipper,
The Barracudas,
Cybotron,
DNA,
Matthew Bourne,
Neil Young,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Scion,
The Alarm Clocks,
Circle Jerks,
Quando Quango, Quando Quango, Quando Quango, Quando Quango.
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.