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 Yemen and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1960 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Woodstock.
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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the linndrum 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 Sun Ra Arkestra to the techno kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Excepter. All the underground hits.
All The Gladiators tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Slits 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The New Christs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Alison Limerick,
Grey Daturas,
Inner City,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Judy Mowatt,
Aswad,
The United States of America,
Franke,
Pet Shop Boys,
Erasure,
The Offenders,
Country Teasers,
10cc,
Crash Course in Science,
Funky Four + One,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Rhythm & Sound,
The J.B.'s,
Yellowson,
The Litter,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Glenn Branca,
Rakim,
Groovy Waters,
These Immortal Souls,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Anthony Braxton,
Fugazi,
Pole,
Joe Smooth,
Yusef Lateef,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Con Funk Shun,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Von Mondo,
Howard Jones,
The Invisible,
Colin Newman,
Dead Boys,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
The Monks,
Unwound,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
James White and The Blacks,
Gang Green,
Dave Gahan,
Pere Ubu,
Radiohead,
David Axelrod,
Prince Buster,
Fat Boys,
Junior Murvin,
Swell Maps,
Guru Guru,
Man Parrish,
Tres Demented,
Lalo Schifrin,
Royal Trux,
The Dead C,
Tommy Roe, Tommy Roe, Tommy Roe, Tommy Roe.
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.