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 Papua New Guinea and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television 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 1968 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 güiro 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 Yellowson to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Evens. All the underground hits.
All Audionom tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Aaron Thompson 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Laurel Aitken record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Barbara Tucker,
Brass Construction,
Slave,
Deakin,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Pharoah Sanders,
Fear,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Ossler,
Silicon Teens,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Mr. Review,
Man Eating Sloth,
The Stooges,
Camberwell Now,
Sarah Menescal,
CMW,
Excepter,
The Trojans,
The Techniques,
Slick Rick,
Lalann,
L. Decosne,
The Last Poets,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Black Moon,
Essential Logic,
the Sonics,
The Moody Blues,
Spandau Ballet,
Crash Course in Science,
The Divine Comedy,
Spoonie Gee,
The Fall,
Model 500,
X-Ray Spex,
Clear Light,
Laurel Aitken,
The Human League,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Section 25,
Q65,
Nik Kershaw,
Supertramp,
Crispian St. Peters,
Whodini,
Howard Jones,
Minny Pops,
ABBA,
Television Personalities,
James White and The Blacks,
Radiohead,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Marine Girls,
Glambeats Corp.,
Joe Finger,
Bad Manners,
Danielle Patucci,
Pussy Galore,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Black Sheep, Black Sheep, Black Sheep, Black Sheep.
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.