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 Germany and from Mumbai.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 arpeggiator 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 The Flesh Eaters 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 U.S. Maple. All the underground hits.
All Oblivians tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Joe Finger record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Selecter record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Boredoms,
Iggy Pop,
Mary Jane Girls,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Ornette Coleman,
U.S. Maple,
In Retrospect,
Rosa Yemen,
Ultravox,
Gang Green,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
James White and The Blacks,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Sight & Sound,
The Blues Magoos,
Agent Orange,
Bill Wells,
Accadde A,
Jawbox,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Scion,
Girls At Our Best!,
Yaz,
Jacob Miller,
Radiopuhelimet,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
kango's stein massive,
Swans,
Vainqueur,
The Electric Prunes,
The Divine Comedy,
The Mummies,
Make Up,
PIL,
The Smoke,
Tim Buckley,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Steve Hackett,
The Misunderstood,
Bill Near,
Junior Murvin,
Trumans Water,
Pierre Henry,
Outsiders,
The Modern Lovers,
The Barracudas,
Crime,
Barrington Levy,
The Last Poets,
Metal Thangz,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Walker Brothers,
Peter & Gordon,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Electric Prunes,
Mark Hollis,
H. Thieme,
Schoolly D,
Con Funk Shun,
Fatback Band,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Funkadelic,
Royal Trux,
The Black Dice,
Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars.
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.