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 Philippines and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1963 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 808 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 Circle Jerks to the disco kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Jesper Dahlbäck. All the underground hits.
All The Red Krayola tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every EPMD record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 guitar and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joyce Sims record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nirvana,
Vainqueur,
New Age Steppers,
Rotary Connection,
Judy Mowatt,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Nik Kershaw,
Saccharine Trust,
Nation of Ulysses,
Eden Ahbez,
Sam Rivers,
Echospace,
Anakelly,
Rod Modell,
A Certain Ratio,
Minor Threat,
Talk Talk,
The Pop Group,
Iggy Pop,
Pere Ubu,
Harmonia,
The Sonics,
Patti Smith,
X-Ray Spex,
Johnny Osbourne,
Unrelated Segments,
Monolake,
Buzzcocks,
Eric Copeland,
Pylon,
Terrestrial Tones,
Index,
Kerri Chandler,
Blake Baxter,
Quadrant,
DJ Style,
Bronski Beat,
Sonny Sharrock,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Steve Hackett,
Ultravox,
Scrapy,
Basic Channel,
Bauhaus,
Tears for Fears,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Massinfluence,
Cecil Taylor,
Oblivians,
Eric Dolphy,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Marvin Gaye,
Television Personalities,
Whodini,
Interpol,
Black Pus,
The Cure,
Rufus Thomas,
Slave,
Jacob Miller,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton.
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.