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 China and from Houston.
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 1960 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the oboe 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 The Monochrome Set to the grime kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Big Daddy Kane. All the underground hits.
All David Bowie tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Royal Trux 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Count Five record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Television,
Funky Four + One,
Josef K,
Peter and Kerry,
The Angels of Light,
The Fortunes,
Max Romeo,
The Mighty Diamonds,
LL Cool J,
The Moleskins,
Boogie Down Productions,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Hot Snakes,
Marshall Jefferson,
Skaos,
The Cramps,
Yazoo,
Echospace,
Idris Muhammad,
Sixth Finger,
The Velvet Underground,
Maleditus Sound,
Black Flag,
The Victims,
Patti Smith,
Das Ding,
Groovy Waters,
Nils Olav,
Urselle,
The Busters,
Graham Central Station,
Outsiders,
Sex Pistols,
Ralphi Rosario,
Marc Almond,
Ultra Naté,
Eric Dolphy,
Robert Wyatt,
Oblivians,
Harpers Bizarre,
The J.B.'s,
Eden Ahbez,
The Gladiators,
Jawbox,
Barrington Levy,
Warsaw,
Mo-Dettes,
X-101,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
David Bowie,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Junior Murvin,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Bob Dylan,
The Residents,
The Last Poets,
Leonard Cohen,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Charles Mingus,
Traffic Nightmare,
Schoolly D, Schoolly D, Schoolly D, Schoolly D.
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.