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 Pakistan and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 Lou Reed 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 Carl Craig to the techno kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Yusef Lateef. All the underground hits.
All Talk Talk tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang on a Can All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kaleidoscope record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Shoche,
Zero Boys,
The Selecter,
The New Christs,
Monolake,
Hot Snakes,
The Busters,
Janne Schatter,
D'Angelo,
Porter Ricks,
Marvin Gaye,
Camouflage,
Gichy Dan,
Royal Trux,
Bill Wells,
Metal Thangz,
Groovy Waters,
Delta 5,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
ABBA,
Swans,
Eurythmics,
Barbara Tucker,
Spandau Ballet,
Excepter,
These Immortal Souls,
Pet Shop Boys,
Lebanon Hanover,
Lou Christie,
Public Enemy,
Dark Day,
Cybotron,
Intrusion,
David McCallum,
Jeff Mills,
Clear Light,
Marine Girls,
Bobby Byrd,
Aswad,
Curtis Mayfield,
Thompson Twins,
Skarface,
The Sonics,
Angry Samoans,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
New York Dolls,
Dawn Penn,
The Divine Comedy,
F. McDonald,
Monks,
Jawbox,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Surgeon,
The Raincoats,
Drive Like Jehu,
Matthew Bourne,
Rotary Connection,
Suicide,
The Smoke,
Jesper Dahlback,
Interpol, Interpol, Interpol, Interpol.
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.