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 Korea North and from Beijing.
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 1964 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Manila.
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 1987 at the first Nirvana practice in a loft in Seattle.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Johnny Clarke to the techno 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 Jawbox. All the underground hits.
All Ohio Players tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ronan 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Porter Ricks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Hoover,
The Martian,
Nico,
UT,
The Selecter,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
the Fania All-Stars,
Swell Maps,
Television,
Peter and Kerry,
Sight & Sound,
Prince Buster,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Soul II Soul,
Tropical Tobacco,
Smog,
Brass Construction,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Fugs,
Yusef Lateef,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Pole,
Donald Byrd,
Hardrive,
The Human League,
The New Christs,
Michelle Simonal,
the Human League,
Quadrant,
Charles Mingus,
Rosa Yemen,
The Trojans,
Nas,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
A Flock of Seagulls,
The Fall,
Sister Nancy,
Joy Division,
Banda Bassotti,
Procol Harum,
Gichy Dan,
John Lydon,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Maurizio,
Joe Smooth,
Outsiders,
D'Angelo,
Piero Umiliani,
Sonny Sharrock,
Thee Headcoats,
Don Cherry,
Young Marble Giants,
Jerry's Kids,
Jacob Miller,
Alphaville,
Bronski Beat,
Derrick Morgan,
Camouflage,
Fat Boys,
The Walker Brothers,
Deadbeat,
Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas, Grey Daturas.
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.