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 Russia and from Paris.
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 1962 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 Zapp to the crunk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Soul II Soul. All the underground hits.
All Reuben Wilson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Chocolate Watch Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeru the Damaja record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Moby Grape,
The Trojans,
Kool Moe Dee,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Associates,
Slick Rick,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Metal Thangz,
Pantytec,
Schoolly D,
Colin Newman,
Sandy B,
Radiohead,
Magma,
Livin' Joy,
Wally Richardson,
Amon Düül,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Fire Engines,
Harry Pussy,
Electric Prunes,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Nas,
Minnie Riperton,
Jeff Mills,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Gerry Rafferty,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Ken Boothe,
Rufus Thomas,
Fad Gadget,
Kas Product,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Sällskapet,
The Golliwogs,
Matthew Halsall,
Joy Division,
Soft Cell,
Marine Girls,
Lyres,
Minny Pops,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Von Mondo,
The Dirtbombs,
The Beau Brummels,
Supertramp,
The Gap Band,
Wings,
Dead Boys,
Jandek,
The Techniques,
Ronan,
Quantec,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Roy Ayers,
Sonic Youth,
Bill Wells,
The Slits,
Warsaw,
Trumans Water,
Pulsallama,
Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke.
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.