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 Finland and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 John Coltrane to the rock 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 The Associates. All the underground hits.
All Easy Going tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Leonard Cohen record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 theremin and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Albert Ayler record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eric B and Rakim,
Dennis Brown,
The Residents,
Cecil Taylor,
Darondo,
Ronan,
Monks,
Fatback Band,
Audionom,
Oblivians,
The Young Rascals,
The Neon Judgement,
Thompson Twins,
Quando Quango,
Heaven 17,
DJ Sneak,
The Moleskins,
The Sonics,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Sparks,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Golliwogs,
Drexciya,
World's Most,
Eve St. Jones,
The Mojo Men,
Make Up,
The Sound,
Japan,
Eddi Front,
Charles Mingus,
Zero Boys,
Index,
Reagan Youth,
Mandrill,
The Wake,
Guru Guru,
The Monochrome Set,
Cluster,
Bobby Womack,
MDC,
Al Stewart,
Idris Muhammad,
Harpers Bizarre,
the Normal,
Soulsonic Force,
Bad Manners,
Rod Modell,
D'Angelo,
Jacob Miller,
Lalann,
Minnie Riperton,
Mad Mike,
Blossom Toes,
Hardrive,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Blues Magoos,
John Foxx,
Isaac Hayes,
Mantronix,
Sex Pistols,
The Stooges, The Stooges, The Stooges, The Stooges.
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.