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 Turkmenistan and from Taipei.
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 1962 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Byron Stingily to the punk 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 Audionom. All the underground hits.
All Lou Reed & John Cale tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Blossom Toes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 harpsichord and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Art Ensemble Of Chicago record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Reagan Youth,
Marine Girls,
Television,
The Slackers,
Funkadelic,
Bobby Sherman,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Zeros,
the Germs,
Marmalade,
Iggy Pop,
Bush Tetras,
Sällskapet,
Idris Muhammad,
Tears for Fears,
Josef K,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Alton Ellis,
Agent Orange,
Amon Düül II,
Arab on Radar,
Freddie Wadling,
Stockholm Monsters,
Delon & Dalcan,
Country Teasers,
Severed Heads,
Motorama,
Man Parrish,
The Pretty Things,
Yaz,
Tom Boy,
Wings,
Eli Mardock,
Lakeside,
Jeru the Damaja,
Scientists,
Pussy Galore,
Johnny Osbourne,
Deadbeat,
Donny Hathaway,
Liliput,
Black Pus,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Walker Brothers,
Negative Approach,
The Standells,
Gang Starr,
Easy Going,
Tres Demented,
Yazoo,
Barry Ungar,
La Düsseldorf,
ABBA,
Peter & Gordon,
Graham Central Station,
The Dirtbombs,
Suicide,
Minor Threat,
Carl Craig,
Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid.
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.