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 Namibia and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in 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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 marimba 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 Rufus Thomas to the punk 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 Joy Division. All the underground hits.
All Bob Dylan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Absolute Body Control 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jacob Miller record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Procol Harum,
The Velvet Underground,
Pole,
Jandek,
Fugazi,
The Smoke,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Zero Boys,
Terrestrial Tones,
Angry Samoans,
Mission of Burma,
Barbara Tucker,
Jeff Mills,
Charles Mingus,
World's Most,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Kayak,
Freddie Wadling,
Excepter,
A Certain Ratio,
the Germs,
Rosa Yemen,
Lower 48,
The Count Five,
Scientists,
The Human League,
Infiniti,
Joy Division,
Glenn Branca,
Tom Boy,
Eric Copeland,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
T. Rex,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Livin' Joy,
Negative Approach,
Joe Smooth,
The Raincoats,
Cheater Slicks,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Chrome,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Rufus Thomas,
Carl Craig,
Outsiders,
Maleditus Sound,
Crispian St. Peters,
Surgeon,
Urselle,
Electric Prunes,
Das Ding,
Steve Hackett,
Audionom,
Delon & Dalcan,
Graham Central Station,
Jacob Miller,
U.S. Maple,
Deadbeat,
Niagra,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen.
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.