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 Oman and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 Copenhagen and Portland.
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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Aural Exciters to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Yusef Lateef. All the underground hits.
All Scan 7 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Judy Mowatt record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
MDC,
David McCallum,
Silicon Teens,
Television Personalities,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Eurythmics,
Swell Maps,
Fela Kuti,
Reagan Youth,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Evens,
Amon Düül II,
Sixth Finger,
Ronnie Foster,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The Doobie Brothers,
Joe Finger,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Wings,
The J.B.'s,
Fatback Band,
Moby Grape,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Al Stewart,
Donald Byrd,
Bob Dylan,
Wolf Eyes,
Amon Düül,
the Germs,
ABC,
Alton Ellis,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Brothers Johnson,
The Smoke,
Camouflage,
Liliput,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
B.T. Express,
X-Ray Spex,
the Bar-Kays,
Wally Richardson,
the Normal,
Neu!,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Interpol,
New Age Steppers,
The Saints,
The Five Americans,
Country Teasers,
The Remains,
Moss Icon,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Cramps,
Beasts of Bourbon,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Drexciya,
Franke,
Fat Boys,
The Cure,
The Birthday Party,
The Martian,
R.M.O.,
Frankie Knuckles,
Sarah Menescal,
Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies.
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.