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 Burkina and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Hong Kong.
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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Rhythm & Sound to the crunk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Justin Hinds & The Dominoes. All the underground hits.
All Bobbi Humphrey tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Brick record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 chamberlin and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bootsy Collins record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Delta 5,
Lalann,
Soft Machine,
Sixth Finger,
Barbara Tucker,
Howard Jones,
Lalo Schifrin,
Skarface,
Magma,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Flash Fearless,
Joyce Sims,
Judy Mowatt,
Hardrive,
Section 25,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Prince Buster,
Tres Demented,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Unrelated Segments,
Marvin Gaye,
Amon Düül II,
Alton Ellis,
Ronan,
Nas,
Joey Negro,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Nick Fraelich,
Negative Approach,
Maurizio,
The Skatalites,
Juan Atkins,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Faust,
New York Dolls,
Dave Gahan,
Duran Duran,
Leonard Cohen,
The Angels of Light,
The Wake,
Arthur Verocai,
John Holt,
L. Decosne,
Johnny Clarke,
Scott Walker,
Cymande,
Radiohead,
cv313,
Chris Corsano,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Move,
Radio Birdman,
Junior Murvin,
Sexual Harrassment,
The United States of America,
Rosa Yemen,
The Slackers,
The Flesh Eaters,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Whodini,
the Human League,
Brick,
Jandek, Jandek, Jandek, Jandek.
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.