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 Grenada and from Philadelphia.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 J.B.'s to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Model 500. All the underground hits.
All KRS-One tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Popol Vuh record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mark Hollis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Real Kids,
Sarah Menescal,
Donny Hathaway,
Ohio Players,
Heaven 17,
Black Pus,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Rod Modell,
Depeche Mode,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Matthew Bourne,
Supertramp,
The Kinks,
Jeru the Damaja,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Bush Tetras,
Sam Rivers,
Hashim,
JFA,
John Cale,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Moleskins,
Second Layer,
David Bowie,
New Order,
Stiv Bators,
Rapeman,
Erykah Badu,
Model 500,
The Index,
the Association,
The Golliwogs,
The Motions,
Joyce Sims,
Morten Harket,
Minny Pops,
Subhumans,
Fugazi,
Josef K,
Aloha Tigers,
Cheater Slicks,
The Slackers,
Porter Ricks,
Faraquet,
Accadde A,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Cowsills,
Bobby Byrd,
Derrick May,
Easy Going,
Rufus Thomas,
Davy DMX,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
a-ha,
Laurel Aitken,
Dark Day,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Bluetip,
Chris & Cosey,
Japan,
Desert Stars, Desert Stars, Desert Stars, Desert Stars.
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.