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 Spain and from London.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the theremin 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 Eric B and Rakim to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Reuben Wilson. All the underground hits.
All Ornette Coleman tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Erykah Badu record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 an oboe and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Monks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Angry Samoans,
Niagra,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Cowsills,
The New Christs,
F. McDonald,
The Five Americans,
Vainqueur,
Moebius,
Malaria!,
MC5,
Interpol,
The Pretty Things,
The Names,
The Beau Brummels,
The Tremeloes,
Janne Schatter,
The J.B.'s,
China Crisis,
Nick Fraelich,
Albert Ayler,
Shoche,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Arcadia,
Fluxion,
The Angels of Light,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Barclay James Harvest,
David McCallum,
Television Personalities,
Motorama,
Lou Christie,
Johnny Clarke,
Idris Muhammad,
June of 44,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Jacob Miller,
Yazoo,
Yaz,
Swell Maps,
Country Teasers,
Radiohead,
Judy Mowatt,
Bauhaus,
Dave Gahan,
CMW,
The Invisible,
Anakelly,
The Fortunes,
Jeru the Damaja,
Newcleus,
Brothers Johnson,
Glambeats Corp.,
Zapp,
Jawbox,
The Fugs,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Gang Starr,
New York Dolls,
Cal Tjader,
Sound Behaviour,
Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti.
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.