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 Liechtenstein and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Winnipeg 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 snare 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 Joey Negro to the rap kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Eddi Front. All the underground hits.
All Joe Finger tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Curtis Mayfield 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Unwound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gang Green,
The Moody Blues,
Quando Quango,
Alison Limerick,
Jandek,
Althea and Donna,
Laurel Aitken,
The Barracudas,
Camouflage,
Black Bananas,
Delta 5,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Fuzztones,
Flipper,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Yazoo,
Duran Duran,
the Fania All-Stars,
Trumans Water,
the Sonics,
Neil Young,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
The Golliwogs,
Echospace,
Skaos,
Chris Corsano,
Soft Cell,
Sam Rivers,
Barry Ungar,
Michelle Simonal,
Nik Kershaw,
Agent Orange,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Birthday Party,
Royal Trux,
Unwound,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Tremeloes,
Radiohead,
Crooked Eye,
Dave Gahan,
Amon Düül,
Ludus,
DJ Sneak,
Kevin Saunderson,
Kerri Chandler,
A Certain Ratio,
John Coltrane,
David McCallum,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Essential Logic,
Con Funk Shun,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Black Pus,
Vainqueur,
Model 500,
Chris & Cosey,
Moby Grape,
Rosa Yemen,
The Motions, The Motions, The Motions, The Motions.
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.