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 Sudan and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1963 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch to the techno 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 The American Breed. All the underground hits.
All Hot Snakes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jesper Dahlback record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 rhodes and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Godley & Creme record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Harry Pussy,
Boredoms,
The Velvet Underground,
Malaria!,
Loose Ends,
Skaos,
The Tremeloes,
Slave,
Second Layer,
Tubeway Army,
Avey Tare,
Lou Christie,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Minny Pops,
The Young Rascals,
Heaven 17,
The Leaves,
Alphaville,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The Trojans,
Mandrill,
Shuggie Otis,
Joyce Sims,
The J.B.'s,
The Evens,
UT,
The Detroit Cobras,
Flash Fearless,
Frankie Knuckles,
KRS-One,
the Fania All-Stars,
R.M.O.,
U.S. Maple,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Sex Pistols,
the Association,
FM Einheit,
Wolf Eyes,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Basic Channel,
CMW,
Theoretical Girls,
Kerrie Biddell,
Cluster,
Erykah Badu,
Quadrant,
Japan,
Boz Scaggs,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Ronan,
Zapp,
Jerry's Kids,
Urselle,
Radiopuhelimet,
Amon Düül,
Barry Ungar,
Livin' Joy,
Severed Heads,
Robert Hood,
Sight & Sound,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Blues Magoos,
The Five Americans, The Five Americans, The Five Americans, The Five Americans.
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.