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 Honduras and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Chic show in New York.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 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 Accadde A to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Vainqueur. All the underground hits.
All The Grass Roots tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ituana 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radio Birdman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Monochrome Set,
DJ Sneak,
Tres Demented,
Chris Corsano,
The Happenings,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Kinks,
James White and The Blacks,
Wings,
Essential Logic,
These Immortal Souls,
Barry Ungar,
MC5,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Red Krayola,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
the Sonics,
Con Funk Shun,
The Neon Judgement,
John Lydon,
The Associates,
Nik Kershaw,
Unrelated Segments,
Kerri Chandler,
Young Marble Giants,
The Cowsills,
Bluetip,
The Durutti Column,
Bronski Beat,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Eric Dolphy,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Detroit Cobras,
The Sound,
Magma,
Liliput,
David McCallum,
Rapeman,
New Order,
Colin Newman,
The Slits,
The Barracudas,
Arthur Verocai,
Bush Tetras,
Aloha Tigers,
Joy Division,
Johnny Osbourne,
Throbbing Gristle,
Fad Gadget,
Outsiders,
Gichy Dan,
Andrew Hill,
Mad Mike,
The Busters,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Avey Tare,
Don Cherry,
Iggy Pop,
Donald Byrd,
Ralphi Rosario,
Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth.
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.