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 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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Sex Pistols. All the underground hits.
All Nick Fraelich tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rhythim Is Rhythim record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Be Bop Deluxe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Wings,
Gastr Del Sol,
Black Moon,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Make Up,
The Index,
Oblivians,
Rekid,
Hoover,
Sun Ra,
Blancmange,
Yellowson,
Stereo Dub,
The Raincoats,
Pierre Henry,
Little Man,
Soul II Soul,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Barrington Levy,
Fifty Foot Hose,
June Days,
Motorama,
Dead Boys,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Fat Boys,
Flamin' Groovies,
This Heat,
Soft Machine,
La Düsseldorf,
Sam Rivers,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Brand Nubian,
Byron Stingily,
A Certain Ratio,
E-Dancer,
Gang Gang Dance,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Scion,
Derrick May,
Fatback Band,
Skriet,
Cybotron,
Idris Muhammad,
Trumans Water,
Thee Headcoats,
Newcleus,
The Black Dice,
The Neon Judgement,
Derrick Morgan,
Negative Approach,
Gong,
Drexciya,
Con Funk Shun,
Scott Walker,
Leonard Cohen,
The Invisible,
Arthur Verocai,
David Axelrod,
Massinfluence,
Mandrill,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Shoche, Shoche, Shoche, Shoche.
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.