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 Colombia and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1960 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 Lou Reed 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 Skriet to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Ice-T. All the underground hits.
All Technova tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tears for Fears record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 güiro and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Standells record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Outsiders,
Quadrant,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Electric Prunes,
Terry Callier,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Vogues,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Swans,
Gil Scott Heron,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Move,
Nico,
Lower 48,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Sällskapet,
Interpol,
The Evens,
Surgeon,
Joey Negro,
The Beau Brummels,
Monks,
Johnny Clarke,
Ludus,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Sex Pistols,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Residents,
Malaria!,
Nirvana,
Porter Ricks,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Pagans,
Glambeats Corp.,
Cameo,
Cluster,
Ronan,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Peter and Kerry,
The Fall,
The Angels of Light,
PIL,
The Flesh Eaters,
Basic Channel,
Blossom Toes,
Oblivians,
Wings,
Henry Cow,
MDC,
Joyce Sims,
Joensuu 1685,
UT,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Victims,
Robert Wyatt,
Tres Demented,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Standells,
Siglo XX,
Bill Wells,
ABC, ABC, ABC, ABC.
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.