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 Tanzania and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 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 Godley & Creme to the grime 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 Ronan. All the underground hits.
All T.S.O.L. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Skarface record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lou Reed record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Anthony Braxton,
The Evens,
Frankie Knuckles,
Flash Fearless,
Lebanon Hanover,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Skaos,
Pierre Henry,
cv313,
MDC,
Girls At Our Best!,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Barbara Tucker,
a-ha,
Agent Orange,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Fuzztones,
Radio Birdman,
Masters at Work,
Cecil Taylor,
Siglo XX,
Scrapy,
Cal Tjader,
Susan Cadogan,
The Remains,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Gabor Szabo,
Aloha Tigers,
Slave,
Flamin' Groovies,
Mars,
Index,
The Names,
Intrusion,
The Slackers,
Kool Moe Dee,
Q and Not U,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Traffic Nightmare,
Minny Pops,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Bobby Sherman,
Black Sheep,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Tears for Fears,
Nation of Ulysses,
Fear,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
New York Dolls,
Neil Young,
Mandrill,
Michelle Simonal,
The Cure,
Colin Newman,
Electric Prunes,
Royal Trux,
Clear Light,
Fad Gadget, Fad Gadget, Fad Gadget, Fad Gadget.
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.