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 Malta and from Accra.
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 1968 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 The Chocolate Watch Band to the rap kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Kayak. All the underground hits.
All Larry & the Blue Notes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ituana record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Minor Threat record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
New Age Steppers,
the Bar-Kays,
Kaleidoscope,
Charles Mingus,
The Moody Blues,
Prince Buster,
La Düsseldorf,
Khruangbin,
David Bowie,
Goldenarms,
Bob Dylan,
Stetsasonic,
Frankie Knuckles,
Crooked Eye,
Patti Smith,
Gil Scott Heron,
Darondo,
Toni Rubio,
Minny Pops,
Interpol,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
New Order,
One Last Wish,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
JFA,
the Fania All-Stars,
the Human League,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
The Busters,
Girls At Our Best!,
Subhumans,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
DJ Sneak,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Flesh Eaters,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Wolf Eyes,
Arthur Verocai,
Smog,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Kerri Chandler,
Tim Buckley,
Nirvana,
Jeff Lynne,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Searchers,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Seeds,
The Gap Band,
Davy DMX,
Glambeats Corp.,
Angry Samoans,
Ossler,
The Moleskins,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Johnny Clarke,
Pussy Galore,
Marine Girls, Marine Girls, Marine Girls, Marine Girls.
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.