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 Egypt and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1969 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 mellotron 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 Unrelated Segments to the punk 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 Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. All the underground hits.
All The Busters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sunsets and Hearts record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 sitar and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Toni Rubio record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
In Retrospect,
Arthur Verocai,
Judy Mowatt,
Theoretical Girls,
The Dead C,
Wolf Eyes,
Negative Approach,
Moss Icon,
Delta 5,
The Music Machine,
Public Enemy,
Monks,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Animal Collective,
Roger Hodgson,
The Pop Group,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Inner City,
The Fortunes,
Gang Gang Dance,
Rapeman,
The Angels of Light,
Slick Rick,
Yellowson,
Nation of Ulysses,
The New Christs,
L. Decosne,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Black Flag,
Stereo Dub,
Chris & Cosey,
Von Mondo,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Fatback Band,
Mission of Burma,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Icehouse,
Terry Callier,
X-Ray Spex,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Nick Fraelich,
Monolake,
Radio Birdman,
The Fuzztones,
Dead Boys,
The Sonics,
Cecil Taylor,
Bobby Sherman,
Glenn Branca,
Boz Scaggs,
Hasil Adkins,
Todd Terry,
Hashim,
Deakin,
Liliput,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Drexciya,
Ludus,
Marshall Jefferson,
Brothers Johnson,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne.
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.