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 Seychelles and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1967 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 clarinet 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 Joe Smooth to the grunge kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Kango’s Stein Massive. All the underground hits.
All The Count Five tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Newcleus record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ralphi Rosario record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gang of Four,
FM Einheit,
Stiv Bators,
Bob Dylan,
Brass Construction,
Dead Boys,
The Beau Brummels,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Silicon Teens,
The Skatalites,
Excepter,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
KRS-One,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
the Germs,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
The Seeds,
The Offenders,
Wally Richardson,
Whodini,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Circle Jerks,
The Durutti Column,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Bad Manners,
the Normal,
Young Marble Giants,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Robert Görl,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Ten City,
The Tremeloes,
Pierre Henry,
Easy Going,
Johnny Osbourne,
Animal Collective,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Simply Red,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Boredoms,
Max Romeo,
Country Teasers,
Gang Gang Dance,
Fluxion,
The Residents,
Bizarre Inc.,
Darondo,
Pere Ubu,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Jandek,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Stereo Dub,
The Slits,
Johnny Clarke,
Sugar Minott,
The Pretty Things,
The Cramps,
Camouflage,
Yusef Lateef,
Underground Resistance,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Freddie Wadling, Freddie Wadling, Freddie Wadling, Freddie Wadling.
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.