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 Bolivia and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1987.
I was there at the first Nirvana show in Seattle.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 snare 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 E-Dancer to the crunk 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 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. All the underground hits.
All Roxy Music tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rites of Spring record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 guitar and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Divine Comedy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Alton Ellis,
Rapeman,
Popol Vuh,
The Grass Roots,
Grauzone,
Qualms,
Saccharine Trust,
The Beau Brummels,
Unwound,
Gong,
Delon & Dalcan,
Maleditus Sound,
Ice-T,
X-Ray Spex,
Joensuu 1685,
John Cale,
Heaven 17,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Negative Approach,
Curtis Mayfield,
Panda Bear,
Scan 7,
The Blues Magoos,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
PIL,
Derrick May,
The Black Dice,
Letta Mbulu,
Terrestrial Tones,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Monks,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Divine Comedy,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Alarm Clocks,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
The Fortunes,
Big Daddy Kane,
Peter & Gordon,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Quantec,
The Blackbyrds,
Michelle Simonal,
Absolute Body Control,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Soulsonic Force,
Graham Central Station,
Jeff Lynne,
The Modern Lovers,
Ultravox,
The Barracudas,
The Monks,
Archie Shepp,
Outsiders,
Depeche Mode,
The Gun Club,
Liliput, Liliput, Liliput, Liliput.
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.