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 Macedonia and from London.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 funk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Godley & Creme. All the underground hits.
All The Moleskins tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Reed record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 an organ and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Beasts of Bourbon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
D'Angelo,
Ohio Players,
Deadbeat,
Wally Richardson,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Slackers,
Fad Gadget,
Panda Bear,
Sarah Menescal,
Infiniti,
Sonny Sharrock,
Silicon Teens,
Camberwell Now,
Colin Newman,
The Smoke,
These Immortal Souls,
Hashim,
Rod Modell,
OOIOO,
Man Parrish,
The Pretty Things,
Sällskapet,
Zapp,
Eddi Front,
Gang Green,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Peter & Gordon,
the Slits,
Arcadia,
Pylon,
Erykah Badu,
Bluetip,
The Barracudas,
Iggy Pop,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Slits,
MC5,
Bob Dylan,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Gastr Del Sol,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Newcleus,
Charles Mingus,
Barclay James Harvest,
Minor Threat,
Lakeside,
Ornette Coleman,
Trumans Water,
The American Breed,
Siglo XX,
The Gladiators,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Motions,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Nas,
Stetsasonic,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Youth Brigade,
Ice-T,
Pole,
Brand Nubian, Brand Nubian, Brand Nubian, Brand Nubian.
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.