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 New Zealand and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1967 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 Scan 7 to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Sexual Harrassment. All the underground hits.
All The Royal Family And The Poor tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tomorrow 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radio Birdman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gong,
Pagans,
Erasure,
Clear Light,
Television Personalities,
Rotary Connection,
Rufus Thomas,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Gang Gang Dance,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Electric Prunes,
Fatback Band,
The Cramps,
Wings,
Monolake,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Rekid,
Drexciya,
Crime,
Sugar Minott,
ABC,
PIL,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Anthony Braxton,
Nirvana,
Skarface,
The Smoke,
F. McDonald,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Grauzone,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Fear,
Vladislav Delay,
Lalann,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Crispian St. Peters,
John Lydon,
Rites of Spring,
Black Bananas,
Japan,
The Slits,
Q and Not U,
The Cure,
Ponytail,
Pulsallama,
The Raincoats,
Ohio Players,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Vogues,
The Fuzztones,
Thee Headcoats,
Circle Jerks,
June Days,
Deadbeat,
Lindisfarne,
Sight & Sound,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Mo-Dettes,
Andrew Hill,
Dual Sessions,
The Young Rascals,
Byron Stingily,
Public Image Ltd., Public Image Ltd., Public Image Ltd., Public Image Ltd..
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.