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 Sri Lanka and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Lille.
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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Kaleidoscope to the crunk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Ralphi Rosario. All the underground hits.
All Eyeless In Gaza tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Trojans 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lebanon Hanover record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
These Immortal Souls,
H. Thieme,
Zero Boys,
Danielle Patucci,
Guru Guru,
The Five Americans,
Lalann,
Erykah Badu,
Althea and Donna,
The Associates,
Moby Grape,
Minny Pops,
Whodini,
Nation of Ulysses,
Second Layer,
Slick Rick,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Public Image Ltd.,
Rufus Thomas,
Bill Near,
Model 500,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Absolute Body Control,
Oneida,
Tubeway Army,
John Holt,
Schoolly D,
Idris Muhammad,
Johnny Clarke,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Los Fastidios,
Arab on Radar,
Japan,
Hasil Adkins,
Lindisfarne,
Black Sheep,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
the Slits,
Isaac Hayes,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Chrome,
Black Moon,
Theoretical Girls,
Anthony Braxton,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Wasted Youth,
Con Funk Shun,
Fad Gadget,
Cluster,
Alison Limerick,
Black Bananas,
Surgeon,
Minor Threat,
Sun City Girls,
Marc Almond,
Crispian St. Peters,
Main Source,
The Gories,
Nik Kershaw,
The Litter,
Derrick May,
The Gap Band, The Gap Band, The Gap Band, The Gap Band.
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.