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 Marshall Islands and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1968 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Johnny Osbourne to the techno 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 Judy Mowatt. All the underground hits.
All In Retrospect tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Josef K 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Wings record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Henry Cow,
Bill Wells,
The Neon Judgement,
The Doobie Brothers,
Piero Umiliani,
Icehouse,
Clear Light,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
X-101,
Ten City,
Flamin' Groovies,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Black Moon,
Eurythmics,
Rites of Spring,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Red Krayola,
The Remains,
Cheater Slicks,
Funkadelic,
Laurel Aitken,
Quando Quango,
Anthony Braxton,
Brass Construction,
Arcadia,
Delta 5,
Gichy Dan,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
X-102,
Absolute Body Control,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Harpers Bizarre,
Bobby Womack,
The Saints,
Gil Scott Heron,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Rakim,
Cybotron,
Tubeway Army,
The Golliwogs,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Unwound,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Pet Shop Boys,
Pantaleimon,
UT,
The Last Poets,
Mo-Dettes,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Maurizio,
8 Eyed Spy,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Accadde A,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Johnny Clarke,
Godley & Creme,
Bluetip,
The Dirtbombs,
Main Source,
Lindisfarne,
Lyres,
The Star Department,
Prince Buster, Prince Buster, Prince Buster, Prince Buster.
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.