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 Turkey and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Throbbing Gristle 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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Mandrill to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 The Real Kids. All the underground hits.
All Kings Of Tomorrow tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Alarm Clocks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Standells,
Reagan Youth,
Los Fastidios,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
LL Cool J,
Young Marble Giants,
Wings,
The Gap Band,
The Monks,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Monochrome Set,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Mr. Review,
Fad Gadget,
Darondo,
Bizarre Inc.,
Unwound,
Man Eating Sloth,
Judy Mowatt,
Lalann,
Metal Thangz,
The Fire Engines,
Skarface,
Jandek,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Soul Sonic Force,
U.S. Maple,
the Normal,
Marmalade,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Stooges,
Bootsy Collins,
In Retrospect,
Little Man,
Brand Nubian,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Drive Like Jehu,
Bobby Sherman,
Kerri Chandler,
Scion,
Make Up,
Ralphi Rosario,
David McCallum,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Last Poets,
Duran Duran,
Tom Boy,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Cure,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Mad Mike,
Animal Collective,
Pharoah Sanders,
Albert Ayler,
The Velvet Underground,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Easy Going,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Joe Finger,
Tropical Tobacco,
Chris & Cosey,
UT,
Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro.
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.