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 Guinea and from Toronto.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Seoul.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 The Busters to the jazz kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Flamin' Groovies. All the underground hits.
All Glambeats Corp. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tommy Roe record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sun Ra Arkestra record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Mark Hollis,
Dorothy Ashby,
Barry Ungar,
Steve Hackett,
Ten City,
Ultravox,
Deakin,
Gang Gang Dance,
Leonard Cohen,
Deepchord,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Spandau Ballet,
Colin Newman,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Isaac Hayes,
Johnny Clarke,
Donny Hathaway,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Rosa Yemen,
Grandmaster Flash,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
MC5,
In Retrospect,
Ultra Naté,
Excepter,
Kerri Chandler,
Byron Stingily,
World's Most,
Skaos,
The Fortunes,
Inner City,
Kenny Larkin,
ABC,
the Association,
Jawbox,
cv313,
Duran Duran,
Joe Smooth,
The Red Krayola,
Donald Byrd,
Yellowson,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Brothers Johnson,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Rapeman,
Porter Ricks,
The Five Americans,
Moss Icon,
Buzzcocks,
The Names,
the Sonics,
Alton Ellis,
Zero Boys,
The Smiths,
Bobby Womack,
Y Pants,
Eddi Front,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Gichy Dan,
T. Rex, T. Rex, T. Rex, T. Rex.
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.