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 Cameroon and from London.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1964 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Andrew Hill to the rap 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 Lucky Dragons. All the underground hits.
All The Cosmic Jokers 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 grime 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 marimba and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Warsaw record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lakeside,
Danielle Patucci,
Cheater Slicks,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Donald Byrd,
Public Image Ltd.,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Lou Christie,
Organ,
Tres Demented,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Kurtis Blow,
The Five Americans,
Quando Quango,
Lucky Dragons,
The Martian,
Alison Limerick,
Andrew Hill,
The Residents,
The Walker Brothers,
The Birthday Party,
Liliput,
Crispy Ambulance,
Chris Corsano,
The Doors,
Radiopuhelimet,
Gregory Isaacs,
Lungfish,
The Dead C,
Aswad,
Popol Vuh,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Television,
Das Ding,
Ronnie Foster,
Jimmy McGriff,
Intrusion,
Gang Gang Dance,
Drexciya,
CMW,
La Düsseldorf,
Gerry Rafferty,
Black Flag,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Sound,
Pulsallama,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Yazoo,
Chrome,
EPMD,
Zapp,
Minny Pops,
Fatback Band,
The Pop Group,
Kayak,
Eric B and Rakim,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Misunderstood,
Nick Fraelich,
Junior Murvin,
Sonny Sharrock,
Jawbox,
John Lydon, John Lydon, John Lydon, John Lydon.
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.