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 Sudan and from London.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1965 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Cure to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Babytalk. All the underground hits.
All Minnie Riperton tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marcia Griffiths 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pantaleimon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
This Heat,
Letta Mbulu,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Stetsasonic,
Soul II Soul,
The Selecter,
Black Bananas,
Henry Cow,
Al Stewart,
Girls At Our Best!,
Idris Muhammad,
Fela Kuti,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Amazonics,
The Doobie Brothers,
Shuggie Otis,
Lebanon Hanover,
Soft Machine,
the Bar-Kays,
the Fania All-Stars,
Altered Images,
Arthur Verocai,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Graham Central Station,
Man Parrish,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Laurel Aitken,
Kayak,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Leaves,
Lucky Dragons,
Depeche Mode,
Scientists,
One Last Wish,
The Dead C,
Tubeway Army,
Rapeman,
Tim Buckley,
Lou Reed,
Spoonie Gee,
Ohio Players,
Kurtis Blow,
Iggy Pop,
Jeff Lynne,
The Saints,
Rod Modell,
Agent Orange,
The Neon Judgement,
Fifty Foot Hose,
kango's stein massive,
The Last Poets,
Roger Hodgson,
Eli Mardock,
Crash Course in Science,
Soul Sonic Force,
Flamin' Groovies,
Archie Shepp,
E-Dancer,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Trumans Water,
Rhythm & Sound,
Eden Ahbez,
Deepchord, Deepchord, Deepchord, Deepchord.
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.