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 Guinea and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 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 Litter to the dance kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Lalo Schifrin. All the underground hits.
All Bill Near tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every B.T. Express 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Cosmic Jokers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Marcia Griffiths,
PIL,
Eric Dolphy,
The Standells,
Arthur Verocai,
The Cramps,
Cybotron,
Brothers Johnson,
Al Stewart,
Eric B and Rakim,
Can,
Soul II Soul,
The Seeds,
These Immortal Souls,
Arab on Radar,
Minor Threat,
Swell Maps,
Johnny Osbourne,
Isaac Hayes,
The Beau Brummels,
Porter Ricks,
The Misunderstood,
Qualms,
The New Christs,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Roxy Music,
Ken Boothe,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The Divine Comedy,
Harry Pussy,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Rhythm & Sound,
Nation of Ulysses,
Wolf Eyes,
the Slits,
Yaz,
New York Dolls,
Little Man,
Schoolly D,
Graham Central Station,
Underground Resistance,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Robert Wyatt,
The Happenings,
David McCallum,
Sister Nancy,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Bootsy Collins,
Warren Ellis,
Bronski Beat,
The Evens,
Procol Harum,
Connie Case,
Boz Scaggs,
Sound Behaviour,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Sex Pistols,
Marshall Jefferson,
Vainqueur,
Dark Day, Dark Day, Dark Day, Dark Day.
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.