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 Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
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 The Monks to the grunge 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 Echospace. All the underground hits.
All Sight & Sound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Warsaw 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Maleditus Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Stetsasonic,
Chris Corsano,
Letta Mbulu,
Visage,
JFA,
DJ Sneak,
8 Eyed Spy,
New Age Steppers,
Funky Four + One,
Bush Tetras,
Boredoms,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
the Germs,
Public Enemy,
Sam Rivers,
Sonic Youth,
Terry Callier,
A Certain Ratio,
Maurizio,
Blossom Toes,
Oblivians,
Sun City Girls,
Nation of Ulysses,
Charles Mingus,
Arthur Verocai,
Ossler,
The Gun Club,
Iggy Pop,
Scion,
The Divine Comedy,
Boogie Down Productions,
Guru Guru,
Minor Threat,
The Mummies,
Flamin' Groovies,
Donald Byrd,
The Blues Magoos,
Simply Red,
Camberwell Now,
Darondo,
The Fuzztones,
Jacob Miller,
The Evens,
The Slits,
The Vogues,
Cameo,
Tommy Roe,
Scott Walker,
Erykah Badu,
The Young Rascals,
The Grass Roots,
The Smiths,
Tropical Tobacco,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Buckinghams,
Derrick May,
Thee Headcoats,
Cal Tjader,
Outsiders,
Agent Orange,
Amon Düül, Amon Düül, Amon Düül, Amon Düül.
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.