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 Ethiopia and from Shanghai.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Searchers to the disco 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 Gang of Four. All the underground hits.
All Severed Heads tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Stereo Dub 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ronnie Foster record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Girls At Our Best!,
DJ Sneak,
Ronnie Foster,
La Düsseldorf,
Todd Rundgren,
Kayak,
Derrick Morgan,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Yusef Lateef,
The Offenders,
Crispy Ambulance,
the Slits,
Half Japanese,
Shuggie Otis,
10cc,
Qualms,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Public Enemy,
A Certain Ratio,
the Germs,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Eurythmics,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
The Gap Band,
The Red Krayola,
Mark Hollis,
Joy Division,
Vladislav Delay,
Duran Duran,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Guru Guru,
Alison Limerick,
Zapp,
Althea and Donna,
Cheater Slicks,
Peter & Gordon,
Alphaville,
Japan,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Skaos,
The Dirtbombs,
Oneida,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Nik Kershaw,
Radiohead,
Agitation Free,
Excepter,
Shoche,
Jimmy McGriff,
Y Pants,
Maleditus Sound,
Niagra,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Real Kids,
Hardrive,
Bobby Womack,
Quando Quango,
Electric Prunes,
Bauhaus, Bauhaus, Bauhaus, Bauhaus.
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.