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 Iceland and from Madrid.
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 1964 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 at the first Suicide practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Newcleus to the rap kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. All the underground hits.
All the Fania All-Stars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bootsy Collins 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Louis and Bebe Barron record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Marvin Gaye,
the Association,
The Alarm Clocks,
Underground Resistance,
Colin Newman,
The Wake,
Barclay James Harvest,
David Bowie,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Tom Boy,
Goldenarms,
Stetsasonic,
Faraquet,
Lucky Dragons,
Metal Thangz,
Freddie Wadling,
Derrick Morgan,
Fluxion,
Gang Green,
Sister Nancy,
Roxette,
Rufus Thomas,
Eve St. Jones,
Bobby Byrd,
Alison Limerick,
Thompson Twins,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Funkadelic,
June of 44,
Sight & Sound,
Hardrive,
Pantaleimon,
Moss Icon,
Susan Cadogan,
Inner City,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
EPMD,
Donny Hathaway,
The Gun Club,
Al Stewart,
Country Teasers,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Model 500,
The Moody Blues,
Nils Olav,
Rekid,
Stereo Dub,
The Residents,
The Electric Prunes,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Bill Near,
Scrapy,
Archie Shepp,
Tim Buckley,
Sexual Harrassment,
Amon Düül,
Marc Almond,
Kerri Chandler,
Danielle Patucci,
Tears for Fears,
H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme.
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.