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 Samoa and from Philadelphia.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 Captain Beefheart 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 The Move to the electroclash 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 Cameo. All the underground hits.
All Bootsy Collins tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Oblivians 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Curtis Mayfield record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Essential Logic,
Jeru the Damaja,
Gichy Dan,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Public Image Ltd.,
Magma,
Qualms,
Grauzone,
Zero Boys,
Robert Hood,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Wire,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Lee Hazlewood,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Count Five,
The Smiths,
Quantec,
Mandrill,
Urselle,
Lou Reed,
Country Teasers,
Eric Copeland,
Severed Heads,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Lucky Dragons,
Ohio Players,
The Cowsills,
Gang of Four,
Porter Ricks,
Circle Jerks,
Japan,
Grandmaster Flash,
Saccharine Trust,
Fad Gadget,
Absolute Body Control,
Howard Jones,
Neu!,
Amazonics,
The Names,
Glambeats Corp.,
Skriet,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Man Parrish,
Whodini,
Soul Sonic Force,
Eve St. Jones,
Reagan Youth,
Black Sheep,
Bush Tetras,
Monolake,
PIL,
Pantaleimon,
Curtis Mayfield,
Isaac Hayes,
Radiohead,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Blancmange,
Peter & Gordon,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Anakelly,
Radio Birdman,
Bronski Beat, Bronski Beat, Bronski Beat, Bronski Beat.
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.