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 Rwanda and from Lille.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Technova to the dance kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Mark Hollis. All the underground hits.
All Qualms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Deadbeat record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jerry Gold Smith record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Byron Stingily,
CMW,
The American Breed,
Quantec,
Sällskapet,
Kenny Larkin,
The Stooges,
Malaria!,
Sun Ra,
Gerry Rafferty,
Blancmange,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
John Foxx,
Gabor Szabo,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
David McCallum,
Sonny Sharrock,
Rotary Connection,
The Skatalites,
The Mojo Men,
Bobby Womack,
Skaos,
The Pretty Things,
Boz Scaggs,
Ten City,
Bluetip,
Avey Tare,
Stetsasonic,
Young Marble Giants,
Deakin,
Jeru the Damaja,
Nik Kershaw,
the Slits,
The Star Department,
The Index,
The Dirtbombs,
Franke,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Flash Fearless,
Anakelly,
Judy Mowatt,
Buzzcocks,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Mummies,
Lebanon Hanover,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Amon Düül,
Ultra Naté,
The Young Rascals,
The Fugs,
Negative Approach,
Pere Ubu,
The Modern Lovers,
The Selecter,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Peter & Gordon,
Yusef Lateef,
The Slits,
Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen.
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.