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 San Marino and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1967 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 Robert Palmer 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 Yellowson to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 The Barracudas. All the underground hits.
All Jandek tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Simply Red record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Funky Four + One record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Wake,
The Mummies,
Quadrant,
Janne Schatter,
Sun Ra,
Harpers Bizarre,
Boogie Down Productions,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Symarip,
Fear,
Terry Callier,
The Saints,
Minnie Riperton,
Eddi Front,
Radiohead,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Fire Engines,
The Last Poets,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Gichy Dan,
Stetsasonic,
F. McDonald,
The Blackbyrds,
The Golliwogs,
Lungfish,
Marshall Jefferson,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Deadbeat,
Slave,
The Standells,
Surgeon,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Lucky Dragons,
Girls At Our Best!,
Eli Mardock,
Alice Coltrane,
Procol Harum,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Pretty Things,
Youth Brigade,
Nik Kershaw,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Peter & Gordon,
Kenny Larkin,
Y Pants,
The New Christs,
Beasts of Bourbon,
The Offenders,
Gang Gang Dance,
Fluxion,
The Monks,
Grauzone,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Vogues,
U.S. Maple,
New Order,
The Litter,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
June of 44,
Jeff Lynne,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Rapeman,
Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux.
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.