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 Nicaragua and from Johannesburg.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the güiro 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 Brick to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Yazoo. All the underground hits.
All Sunsets and Hearts tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Yusef Lateef record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 rhodes and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Man Parrish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Moleskins,
Delta 5,
John Coltrane,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Con Funk Shun,
Organ,
Tears for Fears,
Laurel Aitken,
Public Enemy,
Morten Harket,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Livin' Joy,
Lindisfarne,
Infiniti,
The Durutti Column,
Mr. Review,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Idris Muhammad,
Cabaret Voltaire,
the Germs,
Reuben Wilson,
David Axelrod,
Ultimate Spinach,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Zeros,
The Raincoats,
Marc Almond,
Make Up,
Harmonia,
Aloha Tigers,
Peter & Gordon,
Ultravox,
The Associates,
Brothers Johnson,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Last Poets,
48th St. Collective,
The Leaves,
Gregory Isaacs,
Dual Sessions,
Faust,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Easy Going,
Sixth Finger,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The New Christs,
Lou Reed,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Letta Mbulu,
Alison Limerick,
The Index,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Rapeman,
Sun City Girls,
The Stooges,
Roger Hodgson,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Porter Ricks,
Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes.
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.