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 Lebanon and from Edmonton.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell 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 Cameo. All the underground hits.
All Sun Ra tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Livin' Joy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 rhodes and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dead Boys record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Mummies,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Sparks,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Drive Like Jehu,
Hoover,
10cc,
The Monks,
The Shadows of Knight,
Archie Shepp,
Brass Construction,
Suicide,
Bobby Byrd,
The Sonics,
Bill Wells,
Jesper Dahlback,
John Lydon,
The Offenders,
Ultra Naté,
Vladislav Delay,
Hashim,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Ornette Coleman,
This Heat,
Nick Fraelich,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Alice Coltrane,
The Happenings,
Fatback Band,
Junior Murvin,
The American Breed,
Letta Mbulu,
Cymande,
Lyres,
Ohio Players,
Slave,
Vainqueur,
David McCallum,
Oblivians,
the Association,
the Swans,
X-102,
Howard Jones,
cv313,
Soul Sonic Force,
Das Ding,
Zero Boys,
Tropical Tobacco,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Camouflage,
Roy Ayers,
Graham Central Station,
Amon Düül II,
Bizarre Inc.,
Visage,
The Birthday Party,
Lebanon Hanover,
Spoonie Gee,
Rod Modell,
The Grass Roots,
Yusef Lateef,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Judy Mowatt, Judy Mowatt, Judy Mowatt, Judy Mowatt.
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.