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 Mali and from Bremen.
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 1969 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Richard Hell and the Voidoids to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Mandrill. All the underground hits.
All Terrestrial Tones tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 an organ and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bauhaus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
World's Most,
L. Decosne,
The Remains,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Mars,
the Fania All-Stars,
New Age Steppers,
Swans,
Livin' Joy,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Monks,
Zapp,
Ornette Coleman,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Dave Gahan,
The Electric Prunes,
Bush Tetras,
Piero Umiliani,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Pet Shop Boys,
Big Daddy Kane,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Vainqueur,
Jandek,
The Standells,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Fatback Band,
Average White Band,
Fugazi,
Roger Hodgson,
Dorothy Ashby,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Ultravox,
Roxette,
The Fugs,
The Move,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Flash Fearless,
The Neon Judgement,
Pere Ubu,
Half Japanese,
JFA,
Aloha Tigers,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Inner City,
Peter and Kerry,
Quadrant,
Magma,
Crooked Eye,
David Bowie,
Howard Jones,
The Red Krayola,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Underground Resistance,
Swell Maps,
Barry Ungar,
Juan Atkins,
The Gories,
Tears for Fears,
Echospace,
Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys.
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.