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 Nigeria and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1964 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Prince Buster to the electroclash 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 Outsiders. All the underground hits.
All Mantronix tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every a-ha 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Angels of Light & Akron/Family record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Marmalade,
Jawbox,
David Axelrod,
Monks,
Model 500,
New Order,
The Young Rascals,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
The Gun Club,
Scion,
Dead Boys,
Connie Case,
Eli Mardock,
Outsiders,
World's Most,
Lakeside,
Mars,
Pharoah Sanders,
Ronnie Foster,
Bill Wells,
Youth Brigade,
Deepchord,
48th St. Collective,
Marcia Griffiths,
Essential Logic,
Sun City Girls,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Lalann,
Gang Green,
Zapp,
Electric Prunes,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Patti Smith,
Eddi Front,
Ice-T,
The Zeros,
Idris Muhammad,
Eric B and Rakim,
Lou Reed,
Cymande,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Detroit Cobras,
Jacques Brel,
Johnny Osbourne,
Symarip,
AZ,
Parry Music,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Boz Scaggs,
Audionom,
a-ha,
Ralphi Rosario,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Roy Ayers,
The Trojans,
Minor Threat,
Smog,
Throbbing Gristle,
Crime,
Charles Mingus,
The Red Krayola,
The Residents, The Residents, The Residents, The Residents.
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.