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 Azerbaijan and from Shanghai.
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 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the chamberlin 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 Peanut Butter Conspiracy to the dance 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 Alice Coltrane. All the underground hits.
All Cymande tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gichy Dan record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Boogie Down Productions 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?
KRS-One,
Mars,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
ABBA,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Misunderstood,
Aloha Tigers,
Neu!,
The Fortunes,
Can,
The Blues Magoos,
Scratch Acid,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Fire Engines,
The Music Machine,
Yaz,
Bill Wells,
The Moleskins,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Reagan Youth,
X-102,
Nation of Ulysses,
Alphaville,
John Foxx,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Moody Blues,
The Sound,
Tres Demented,
Boredoms,
Dennis Brown,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Royal Trux,
the Swans,
Trumans Water,
Gang Green,
Frankie Knuckles,
Jesper Dahlback,
Basic Channel,
Scott Walker,
Ice-T,
The Victims,
James White and The Blacks,
Jerry's Kids,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Technova,
the Association,
Deepchord,
Japan,
Sonny Sharrock,
Masters at Work,
Wolf Eyes,
ABC,
The Leaves,
The Durutti Column,
The Raincoats,
Swell Maps,
Cal Tjader,
Shuggie Otis,
Harry Pussy, Harry Pussy, Harry Pussy, Harry Pussy.
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.