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 South Africa and from Bologna.
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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 harpsichord 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 Joyce Sims to the grunge 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 Vainqueur. All the underground hits.
All Qualms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nik Kershaw record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Circle Jerks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Oblivians,
Arcadia,
Brothers Johnson,
The Blues Magoos,
Television Personalities,
Stereo Dub,
Anakelly,
Lee Hazlewood,
Yazoo,
June of 44,
Sight & Sound,
Eric Copeland,
Radiopuhelimet,
Toni Rubio,
Talk Talk,
The Seeds,
Alice Coltrane,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
a-ha,
Faust,
Skaos,
Joensuu 1685,
Fatback Band,
Scott Walker,
Piero Umiliani,
X-101,
Eden Ahbez,
Das Ding,
Byron Stingily,
Andrew Hill,
Minutemen,
Howard Jones,
Gong,
Sound Behaviour,
Ituana,
Marshall Jefferson,
Motorama,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
10cc,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Pantaleimon,
Patti Smith,
Metal Thangz,
Ultimate Spinach,
Ossler,
Suburban Knight,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Popol Vuh,
Godley & Creme,
PIL,
MC5,
The Vogues,
Vladislav Delay,
Buzzcocks,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Camouflage,
Sandy B,
The Cowsills, The Cowsills, The Cowsills, The Cowsills.
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.