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 Czech Republic and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1964 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 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 Pantaleimon to the rap kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Mary Jane Girls. All the underground hits.
All The Five Americans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mandrill 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a June of 44 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron 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 Velvet Underground,
Pagans,
Beasts of Bourbon,
The Doors,
Dennis Brown,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Letta Mbulu,
Scratch Acid,
Quadrant,
Outsiders,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Bang On A Can,
Stetsasonic,
KRS-One,
Hoover,
Panda Bear,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Byron Stingily,
Arcadia,
Barbara Tucker,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Slave,
Mark Hollis,
Amazonics,
The Vogues,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Aswad,
Pantaleimon,
Swell Maps,
LL Cool J,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Q and Not U,
June of 44,
Altered Images,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Gil Scott Heron,
Mars,
Hashim,
The Residents,
Chris & Cosey,
Das Ding,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Colin Newman,
The Zeros,
Echospace,
Audionom,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Bush Tetras,
Tommy Roe,
Country Teasers,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
the Fania All-Stars,
Eddi Front,
Jawbox,
The Fortunes,
Peter and Kerry,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Pantytec,
A Certain Ratio,
Dave Gahan, Dave Gahan, Dave Gahan, Dave Gahan.
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.