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 Saudi Arabia and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Spandau Ballet to the techno kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Louis and Bebe Barron. All the underground hits.
All The Electric Prunes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Cymande record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lafayette Afro Rock Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Model 500,
Royal Trux,
Fela Kuti,
The Index,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Johnny Clarke,
David McCallum,
Moebius,
MDC,
Country Teasers,
The Smiths,
PIL,
Scientists,
These Immortal Souls,
Donny Hathaway,
The Black Dice,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Tubeway Army,
Rakim,
Mars,
Procol Harum,
The Leaves,
Terrestrial Tones,
Barry Ungar,
Prince Buster,
Scratch Acid,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Hoover,
Desert Stars,
Trumans Water,
Mantronix,
Brand Nubian,
Sound Behaviour,
Todd Rundgren,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Drexciya,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Slackers,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Eric B and Rakim,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Roger Hodgson,
Quadrant,
Unwound,
Dennis Brown,
Young Marble Giants,
Livin' Joy,
Flash Fearless,
Pagans,
The Divine Comedy,
Banda Bassotti,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Aaron Thompson,
Jeru the Damaja,
Sparks,
Robert Hood,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Raincoats, The Raincoats, The Raincoats, The Raincoats.
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.