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 Romania and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Toronto.
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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Crooked Eye to the funk 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 Black Moon. All the underground hits.
All Crispian St. Peters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sixth Finger 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 '90s.
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 the Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
London Community Gospel Choir,
Quadrant,
Roger Hodgson,
The Zeros,
The Velvet Underground,
Con Funk Shun,
The Slits,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Scientists,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Thompson Twins,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Star Department,
Brick,
Sonny Sharrock,
La Düsseldorf,
AZ,
Joy Division,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Godley & Creme,
Roxy Music,
Audionom,
Can,
the Soft Cell,
Gang Starr,
Barbara Tucker,
The Sound,
Moby Grape,
Johnny Clarke,
JFA,
Lightning Bolt,
Make Up,
Franke,
Zero Boys,
Jeff Mills,
Fort Wilson Riot,
K-Klass,
Babytalk,
Ornette Coleman,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Archie Shepp,
Colin Newman,
The Fire Engines,
Deepchord,
Fat Boys,
The Birthday Party,
Flipper,
Ralphi Rosario,
Funky Four + One,
Arthur Verocai,
Pierre Henry,
Sight & Sound,
This Heat,
Cluster,
Deadbeat,
New York Dolls,
Rhythm & Sound,
Patti Smith,
The Fuzztones,
The Smiths,
The Evens,
Al Stewart, Al Stewart, Al Stewart, Al Stewart.
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.