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 South Africa and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 Captain Beefheart 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 R.M.O. to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Magma. All the underground hits.
All The Cure tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nation of Ulysses record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Mighty Diamonds record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The New Christs,
Bootsy Collins,
Terry Callier,
Sonny Sharrock,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Excepter,
Pierre Henry,
Sight & Sound,
Glenn Branca,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
DJ Sneak,
Morten Harket,
Fatback Band,
The Monks,
Leonard Cohen,
The Young Rascals,
the Bar-Kays,
June Days,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Joe Smooth,
The Happenings,
The J.B.'s,
Lou Reed,
Robert Hood,
DJ Style,
Easy Going,
The Raincoats,
Babytalk,
Gichy Dan,
Max Romeo,
La Düsseldorf,
In Retrospect,
Pussy Galore,
The Tremeloes,
Goldenarms,
Deepchord,
Pagans,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Buzzcocks,
Drive Like Jehu,
Nick Fraelich,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Walker Brothers,
Unrelated Segments,
Stockholm Monsters,
Lou Christie,
Sällskapet,
Qualms,
Y Pants,
Cymande,
ABC,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
June of 44,
The Count Five,
Soulsonic Force,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Cecil Taylor,
Con Funk Shun,
Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes.
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.