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 Kazakhstan and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 linndrum 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 Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz 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 Terry Callier. All the underground hits.
All Subhumans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Man Parrish record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 an oboe and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a John Holt record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joe Smooth,
Morten Harket,
the Human League,
Urselle,
The Raincoats,
Unrelated Segments,
DJ Style,
Albert Ayler,
Fear,
The Divine Comedy,
The Cramps,
Camberwell Now,
Andrew Hill,
Black Bananas,
Black Flag,
Neil Young,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Cure,
Y Pants,
Television,
the Swans,
Vladislav Delay,
Ralphi Rosario,
Zapp,
Dark Day,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Todd Terry,
Arab on Radar,
Mars,
Gang Gang Dance,
Derrick Morgan,
Can,
John Cale,
Delon & Dalcan,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Modern Lovers,
Nico,
Erasure,
Pharoah Sanders,
Con Funk Shun,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Ronnie Foster,
Traffic Nightmare,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Piero Umiliani,
Kevin Saunderson,
Pagans,
Yazoo,
Mantronix,
The Human League,
Amon Düül II,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Brand Nubian,
Robert Hood,
8 Eyed Spy,
Model 500,
Deakin,
The Index,
The Martian,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith.
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.