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 Mexico and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1963 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 güiro 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 Beau Brummels to the jazz 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 Bush Tetras. All the underground hits.
All Marvin Gaye tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Eric B and Rakim record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a One Last Wish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Slick Rick,
Soul II Soul,
Scion,
ABBA,
Bang On A Can,
The Dead C,
The Angels of Light,
Kenny Larkin,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Reagan Youth,
The Electric Prunes,
Fear,
Henry Cow,
The Raincoats,
Scott Walker,
Sam Rivers,
Suicide,
Dorothy Ashby,
Public Enemy,
Hoover,
Tears for Fears,
Electric Prunes,
Fatback Band,
Silicon Teens,
Roger Hodgson,
Soft Machine,
Youth Brigade,
Dark Day,
The Fortunes,
The Skatalites,
The Names,
R.M.O.,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Bad Manners,
Duran Duran,
Barbara Tucker,
Black Pus,
The Trojans,
Moebius,
The Red Krayola,
Index,
Byron Stingily,
Juan Atkins,
Negative Approach,
Circle Jerks,
Absolute Body Control,
Sister Nancy,
Hasil Adkins,
Swell Maps,
Shoche,
Stereo Dub,
Urselle,
Donny Hathaway,
Radio Birdman,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Lou Reed,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Nico,
Alison Limerick,
Tommy Roe,
Supertramp,
The Alarm Clocks, The Alarm Clocks, The Alarm Clocks, The Alarm Clocks.
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.