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 Somalia and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1968 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 David Bowie 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 Can to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Lalann. All the underground hits.
All Bootsy's Rubber Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Morten Harket record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lou Reed record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Goldenarms,
The New Christs,
Fat Boys,
Babytalk,
KRS-One,
Main Source,
Wasted Youth,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Dirtbombs,
Fela Kuti,
The Gladiators,
Zero Boys,
Mandrill,
Minnie Riperton,
Rod Modell,
Howard Jones,
LL Cool J,
New York Dolls,
Stetsasonic,
Public Enemy,
Pantaleimon,
Lou Reed,
Kas Product,
the Fania All-Stars,
B.T. Express,
The Smoke,
Circle Jerks,
Pharoah Sanders,
Dave Gahan,
Sarah Menescal,
Ludus,
The Pop Group,
Godley & Creme,
Rhythm & Sound,
DJ Style,
Letta Mbulu,
Nas,
Faraquet,
The Residents,
Juan Atkins,
Cluster,
Guru Guru,
Mr. Review,
Camouflage,
Intrusion,
the Association,
John Cale,
Joe Finger,
Soul II Soul,
Camberwell Now,
Faust,
John Foxx,
The Grass Roots,
Agent Orange,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Fire Engines,
Gang of Four,
New Order,
Pylon,
Bill Near,
Visage, Visage, Visage, Visage.
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.