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 Dominica and from Bremen.
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 Seoul and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 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 The Selecter to the rap 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 Motions. All the underground hits.
All F. McDonald tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Notorious Big And Bone Thugs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 808 and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oblivians record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Flamin' Groovies,
The Doors,
The Standells,
The Grass Roots,
Heaven 17,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Jacques Brel,
Chrome,
The Litter,
Charles Mingus,
Juan Atkins,
Mars,
The Music Machine,
Aswad,
Grauzone,
Surgeon,
The New Christs,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
D'Angelo,
Scan 7,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Barracudas,
Silicon Teens,
Tropical Tobacco,
Rekid,
B.T. Express,
Drive Like Jehu,
Royal Trux,
Saccharine Trust,
Mad Mike,
Minny Pops,
The Smiths,
Sex Pistols,
Connie Case,
Robert Görl,
Icehouse,
Tomorrow,
Lou Christie,
Ten City,
The Evens,
The Saints,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Avey Tare,
Funkadelic,
Sister Nancy,
John Coltrane,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Peter & Gordon,
Pagans,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Camouflage,
The Monochrome Set,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Pole,
Gastr Del Sol,
Don Cherry,
The Blues Magoos,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh.
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.