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 France and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 organ 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 Pulsallama to the electroclash 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 The Cowsills. All the underground hits.
All Swell Maps tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jerry's Kids 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lonnie Liston Smith record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Steve Hackett,
Jeru the Damaja,
Howard Jones,
Neil Young,
Warren Ellis,
U.S. Maple,
The Divine Comedy,
Connie Case,
The Sound,
Popol Vuh,
The Toasters,
Pantaleimon,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Con Funk Shun,
Trumans Water,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Dorothy Ashby,
Jesper Dahlback,
Chrome,
The Index,
Gang of Four,
The Beau Brummels,
Joey Negro,
JFA,
The Detroit Cobras,
Quando Quango,
The Knickerbockers,
The Cramps,
Whodini,
Little Man,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Human League,
Pole,
The Raincoats,
Babytalk,
Zapp,
Mad Mike,
In Retrospect,
Tres Demented,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
John Cale,
Kevin Saunderson,
A Certain Ratio,
The United States of America,
The J.B.'s,
Depeche Mode,
Shuggie Otis,
Terrestrial Tones,
Cecil Taylor,
Basic Channel,
DJ Style,
The Barracudas,
Minny Pops,
Godley & Creme,
Ituana,
Maleditus Sound,
Sonic Youth,
Yusef Lateef,
Dennis Brown,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Camouflage,
Minor Threat,
Drexciya,
Man Parrish, Man Parrish, Man Parrish, Man Parrish.
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.