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 Liechtenstein and from Lille.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 arpeggiator 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 Pagans to the punk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 AZ. All the underground hits.
All Mars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bad Manners record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 harpsichord and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a D'Angelo record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Arcadia,
John Lydon,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Donald Byrd,
Television Personalities,
Lower 48,
These Immortal Souls,
The Index,
FM Einheit,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Juan Atkins,
Chrome,
Television,
The Grass Roots,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Zapp,
Lightning Bolt,
DNA,
Bang On A Can,
Matthew Bourne,
Gastr Del Sol,
Liliput,
Nas,
In Retrospect,
The Detroit Cobras,
Jerry's Kids,
Ronnie Foster,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Maurizio,
Pantytec,
B.T. Express,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Cecil Taylor,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Roy Ayers,
Harmonia,
Eurythmics,
Amon Düül II,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Desert Stars,
Black Sheep,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Amon Düül,
Slave,
Davy DMX,
D'Angelo,
Negative Approach,
Soft Machine,
Traffic Nightmare,
Ultra Naté,
The Evens,
The Saints,
Symarip,
Tubeway Army,
Section 25,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Soul II Soul,
Slick Rick,
Patti Smith,
Ludus, Ludus, Ludus, Ludus.
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.