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 Botswana and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1960 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 Lou Reed 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 Minnie Riperton to the rap 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 Danielle Patucci. All the underground hits.
All The Dirtbombs tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Second Layer record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 synthesizer and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dead Boys record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Barrington Levy,
Flash Fearless,
Soul II Soul,
Sister Nancy,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Warren Ellis,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
The Fall,
The Remains,
Gabor Szabo,
Basic Channel,
The Evens,
Joyce Sims,
Yellowson,
Erykah Badu,
Bill Near,
Big Daddy Kane,
Toni Rubio,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Toasters,
The Alarm Clocks,
Organ,
Dead Boys,
Monolake,
Echospace,
Moby Grape,
Reagan Youth,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The United States of America,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Underground Resistance,
the Human League,
Ultravox,
Wolf Eyes,
Model 500,
The Black Dice,
Excepter,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Moebius,
Crispy Ambulance,
Colin Newman,
The New Christs,
The Sonics,
Magazine,
Bang On A Can,
Janne Schatter,
Barbara Tucker,
Soft Cell,
Public Image Ltd.,
Schoolly D,
Hardrive,
Marine Girls,
Audionom,
Black Sheep,
Minor Threat,
Amon Düül II,
Brass Construction,
Scientists, Scientists, Scientists, Scientists.
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.