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 Afghanistan and from Paris.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Soul II Soul to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Lalann. All the underground hits.
All The Skatalites tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every ABC 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Harmonia record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Leaves,
Alice Coltrane,
Make Up,
The Dirtbombs,
The Cure,
Wally Richardson,
The United States of America,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Slave,
Lalann,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Doobie Brothers,
Black Bananas,
Iggy Pop,
The Detroit Cobras,
Amazonics,
These Immortal Souls,
Jeru the Damaja,
Camouflage,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Sound,
Blake Baxter,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The Gories,
Minny Pops,
Panda Bear,
Interpol,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Toasters,
Peter and Kerry,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
U.S. Maple,
Rakim,
Pulsallama,
Sight & Sound,
The Skatalites,
Josef K,
Dennis Brown,
Organ,
Rod Modell,
Chrome,
The Birthday Party,
The Residents,
The Grass Roots,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Fat Boys,
Animal Collective,
Man Parrish,
Pere Ubu,
Lungfish,
Derrick May,
Scientists,
Joyce Sims,
Ossler,
Ohio Players,
Tres Demented,
Television Personalities,
Lou Reed,
Crooked Eye,
Guru Guru,
Easy Going, Easy Going, Easy Going, Easy Going.
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.