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 Jamaica and from Manila.
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 1969 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 De La Soul & Jungle Brothers to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Ultramagnetic MC's. All the underground hits.
All the Soft Cell tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every 10cc record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sparks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Skatalites,
Hashim,
Sister Nancy,
The Saints,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Index,
Desert Stars,
Audionom,
Skarface,
Gregory Isaacs,
David McCallum,
The Slackers,
Visage,
The Mojo Men,
a-ha,
Lou Christie,
Eli Mardock,
The Evens,
Bizarre Inc.,
ABC,
Ultravox,
Neil Young,
Davy DMX,
The Searchers,
Q and Not U,
Marshall Jefferson,
Nation of Ulysses,
Chris Corsano,
Gang Green,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Gong,
Nas,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Arcadia,
Rotary Connection,
One Last Wish,
Kurtis Blow,
Tropical Tobacco,
DJ Sneak,
Massinfluence,
Crispy Ambulance,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Isaac Hayes,
Symarip,
FM Einheit,
Darondo,
Aswad,
Jeru the Damaja,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Minnie Riperton,
Bobby Byrd,
The Beau Brummels,
Robert Hood,
Negative Approach,
Lakeside,
Swans,
Half Japanese,
Freddie Wadling,
Nik Kershaw,
Sexual Harrassment,
Dark Day,
Technova, Technova, Technova, Technova.
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.