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 Madagascar and from Milan.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 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 Terrestrial Tones to the punk 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 Sixth Finger. All the underground hits.
All Sound Behaviour tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Litter record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 marimba and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a T. Rex record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Radiopuhelimet,
Dave Gahan,
Cheater Slicks,
Cluster,
The Modern Lovers,
Public Image Ltd.,
Pantaleimon,
Sun City Girls,
Glambeats Corp.,
the Soft Cell,
Banda Bassotti,
Black Bananas,
Tim Buckley,
Smog,
The Slits,
Deadbeat,
Cecil Taylor,
Arcadia,
Fat Boys,
Goldenarms,
Qualms,
Aaron Thompson,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Flipper,
Ronnie Foster,
Make Up,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Urselle,
The Barracudas,
Lalo Schifrin,
Leonard Cohen,
The Fugs,
The Litter,
Animal Collective,
Lucky Dragons,
Pere Ubu,
Tommy Roe,
One Last Wish,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Underground Resistance,
Zero Boys,
Crispian St. Peters,
Thee Headcoats,
Tres Demented,
Max Romeo,
LL Cool J,
Jerry's Kids,
The Monochrome Set,
The Moleskins,
Ituana,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Marshall Jefferson,
Panda Bear,
Spandau Ballet,
Scientists,
Jandek,
Newcleus,
Saccharine Trust,
Patti Smith,
The Toasters,
Althea and Donna,
Audionom, Audionom, Audionom, Audionom.
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.