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 Oman and from Madrid.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Ponytail to the grime kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Isaac Hayes. All the underground hits.
All Quando Quango tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Goldenarms record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Erasure record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tropical Tobacco,
The Mummies,
Inner City,
The Trojans,
Man Parrish,
Mars,
The Angels of Light,
La Düsseldorf,
Joe Smooth,
The United States of America,
John Lydon,
Moby Grape,
Hardrive,
FM Einheit,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The Gun Club,
Brick,
Tommy Roe,
The Tremeloes,
the Normal,
The Monks,
The Associates,
Camouflage,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Residents,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Index,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Leaves,
Mr. Review,
Oblivians,
X-101,
JFA,
The Durutti Column,
Michelle Simonal,
Quando Quango,
Black Flag,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Marvin Gaye,
Half Japanese,
Harry Pussy,
Unwound,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
L. Decosne,
Minnie Riperton,
World's Most,
The Skatalites,
Parry Music,
Roy Ayers,
Vladislav Delay,
The Blues Magoos,
Zero Boys,
Can,
One Last Wish,
Bobbi Humphrey,
a-ha,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Amon Düül,
Neil Young,
Juan Atkins, Juan Atkins, Juan Atkins, Juan Atkins.
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.