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 Angola and from Philadelphia.
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 London and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Angry Samoans to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Alphaville. All the underground hits.
All CMW tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fifty Foot Hose record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Peter and Kerry record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ornette Coleman,
UT,
Charles Mingus,
the Human League,
Bootsy Collins,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Aswad,
Minor Threat,
Con Funk Shun,
The Angels of Light,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Durutti Column,
John Foxx,
Minutemen,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Hashim,
Tom Boy,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Mars,
Visage,
Animal Collective,
JFA,
Dennis Brown,
Ash Ra Tempel,
DJ Style,
Moby Grape,
Quadrant,
Jeff Lynne,
Scan 7,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Soulsonic Force,
Bobby Byrd,
Iggy Pop,
Monks,
Sound Behaviour,
Pere Ubu,
Fatback Band,
Lalo Schifrin,
Nico,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Motions,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
DJ Sneak,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Man Eating Sloth,
Mo-Dettes,
Amon Düül,
a-ha,
Cameo,
Camberwell Now,
Marmalade,
Chris & Cosey,
Icehouse,
China Crisis,
Lalann,
The Knickerbockers,
Second Layer,
Jeff Mills,
Barbara Tucker,
The Barracudas,
Carl Craig,
Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen.
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.