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 Yemen and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1965 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Winnipeg.
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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Agent Orange to the rock 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 Rakim. All the underground hits.
All Patti Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Slits 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a AZ record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Moebius,
Dead Boys,
Boogie Down Productions,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Bush Tetras,
Susan Cadogan,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Selecter,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Young Rascals,
Bill Near,
Tim Buckley,
The Slackers,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Flamin' Groovies,
Second Layer,
Ultravox,
the Bar-Kays,
The Monochrome Set,
Yellowson,
Crime,
Kurtis Blow,
The Buckinghams,
Black Flag,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Goldenarms,
John Foxx,
Gong,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Black Bananas,
Organ,
the Association,
Symarip,
Carl Craig,
The Stooges,
Ronnie Foster,
The Red Krayola,
X-102,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Sunsets and Hearts,
Circle Jerks,
Outsiders,
Bad Manners,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Quantec,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Fear,
Infiniti,
the Fania All-Stars,
Popol Vuh,
Althea and Donna,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Television Personalities,
Letta Mbulu,
The Toasters,
Parry Music,
Inner City,
Faust,
Sonic Youth,
The Modern Lovers,
Brick, Brick, Brick, Brick.
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.