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 Chile and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 rhodes 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 Cabaret Voltaire to the funk 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 Bang on a Can All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All Rekid tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kevin Saunderson record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grey Daturas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jimmy McGriff,
Pharoah Sanders,
Man Parrish,
Make Up,
Jandek,
Black Pus,
Oblivians,
Eric B and Rakim,
L. Decosne,
Jawbox,
T.S.O.L.,
Pylon,
Soul II Soul,
Amazonics,
Grey Daturas,
Aural Exciters,
The Evens,
Mandrill,
Gang Green,
Average White Band,
Nas,
The Wake,
Lucky Dragons,
Mission of Burma,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Guru Guru,
Nation of Ulysses,
Alphaville,
Erasure,
Agent Orange,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Crispy Ambulance,
Visage,
The Index,
The Mojo Men,
The Martian,
Q65,
Boz Scaggs,
The Leaves,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Qualms,
Anakelly,
The Vogues,
Sugar Minott,
Interpol,
Johnny Osbourne,
Peter and Kerry,
Fugazi,
Talk Talk,
Gerry Rafferty,
Desert Stars,
Traffic Nightmare,
Urselle,
Tres Demented,
Panda Bear,
The Red Krayola,
Siglo XX,
Ice-T,
The Divine Comedy,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Eric Dolphy,
Y Pants, Y Pants, Y Pants, Y Pants.
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.