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 Kenya and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 La Düsseldorf to the grunge 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 Gabor Szabo. All the underground hits.
All Joe Finger tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Dorothy Ashby record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Michelle Simonal record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sly & The Family Stone,
Harmonia,
Mission of Burma,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Selecter,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
OOIOO,
Con Funk Shun,
Eli Mardock,
Banda Bassotti,
The Residents,
Schoolly D,
R.M.O.,
Robert Hood,
Swell Maps,
Television,
the Bar-Kays,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Roger Hodgson,
ABC,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Camouflage,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Jawbox,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Bobby Byrd,
Davy DMX,
Monks,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Can,
The Raincoats,
The Neon Judgement,
Andrew Hill,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Aural Exciters,
Sixth Finger,
Alton Ellis,
Bill Near,
The Smiths,
Max Romeo,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Mad Mike,
Jeff Mills,
Soft Machine,
The Searchers,
Suicide,
The Evens,
Ponytail,
Siglo XX,
Rakim,
Crispy Ambulance,
Bootsy Collins,
Quando Quango,
New Age Steppers,
Radiohead,
Lalo Schifrin,
Glambeats Corp.,
Soft Cell,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
X-Ray Spex,
Cal Tjader, Cal Tjader, Cal Tjader, Cal Tjader.
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.