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 Tuvalu and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 Robert Palmer 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 Avey Tare to the punk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Franke. All the underground hits.
All Archie Shepp tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nik Kershaw 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Pus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Boredoms,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Pharoah Sanders,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Slackers,
Lakeside,
Deadbeat,
The Doobie Brothers,
Tubeway Army,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Neil Young,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Simply Red,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The Vogues,
Ossler,
Roxette,
Icehouse,
Easy Going,
Banda Bassotti,
Electric Prunes,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Isaac Hayes,
The Move,
MC5,
the Soft Cell,
Lower 48,
Black Pus,
La Düsseldorf,
Yaz,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
DJ Sneak,
David McCallum,
The Doors,
Warren Ellis,
Stockholm Monsters,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Leaves,
Gang Green,
Wally Richardson,
Newcleus,
World's Most,
Steve Hackett,
Max Romeo,
Franke,
Andrew Hill,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Cure,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Sonics,
the Slits,
Brothers Johnson,
John Holt,
The Skatalites,
Interpol,
The Litter,
Marine Girls,
Thompson Twins,
Tres Demented,
Livin' Joy,
Don Cherry,
Mr. Review,
The Residents, The Residents, The Residents, The Residents.
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.