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 Nigeria and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1987.
I was there at the first Nirvana show in Seattle.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Radio Birdman to the rap 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 Ronan. All the underground hits.
All Gang Starr tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every June Days 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ituana record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Walker Brothers,
Roger Hodgson,
Heaven 17,
Andrew Hill,
Josef K,
Peter & Gordon,
Jeru the Damaja,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Quantec,
Q and Not U,
Von Mondo,
Mission of Burma,
Outsiders,
Stetsasonic,
OOIOO,
Todd Terry,
The Kinks,
China Crisis,
Patti Smith,
The Searchers,
The Victims,
Circle Jerks,
La Düsseldorf,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Youth Brigade,
The Angels of Light,
Silicon Teens,
Gang of Four,
K-Klass,
The United States of America,
Ossler,
Average White Band,
10cc,
Radio Birdman,
Joey Negro,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Eden Ahbez,
The Dave Clark Five,
Soft Machine,
Peter and Kerry,
Saccharine Trust,
The Barracudas,
Public Image Ltd.,
Erykah Badu,
Ituana,
Jandek,
The Techniques,
Joy Division,
Banda Bassotti,
Joyce Sims,
Rakim,
The Fortunes,
Mo-Dettes,
The Velvet Underground,
Boogie Down Productions,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Jawbox,
Wire,
Section 25,
Fugazi,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
48th St. Collective,
Ultra Naté, Ultra Naté, Ultra Naté, Ultra Naté.
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.