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 Lesotho and from Johannesburg.
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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Echo & the Bunnymen to the disco kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Jeru the Damaja. All the underground hits.
All The Smoke tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Smiths record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a London Community Gospel Choir record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Crime,
The Offenders,
Rapeman,
The Monochrome Set,
Gang of Four,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Second Layer,
Malaria!,
The Names,
Brick,
Hoover,
Zero Boys,
The Angels of Light,
Eurythmics,
Graham Central Station,
Mission of Burma,
Kurtis Blow,
The Motions,
Depeche Mode,
Jeff Lynne,
Roy Ayers,
Gastr Del Sol,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Delta 5,
The Neon Judgement,
Au Pairs,
Tim Buckley,
Mars,
Sandy B,
The Grass Roots,
The Smiths,
The Real Kids,
Tropical Tobacco,
John Coltrane,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Pussy Galore,
The Electric Prunes,
Ultra Naté,
Ralphi Rosario,
Dennis Brown,
Morten Harket,
Crooked Eye,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Eddi Front,
The Vogues,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Leonard Cohen,
K-Klass,
Amon Düül,
Grey Daturas,
Crispian St. Peters,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Fugs,
The Invisible,
8 Eyed Spy,
Nirvana,
Danielle Patucci,
Spoonie Gee,
Darondo,
Lakeside,
Bizarre Inc., Bizarre Inc., Bizarre Inc., Bizarre Inc..
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.