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 Marshall Islands and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1962 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Walker Brothers to the punk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Janne Schatter. All the underground hits.
All Slave tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Peter & Gordon 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Saints record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Q and Not U,
Minnie Riperton,
Ponytail,
The Cramps,
The Last Poets,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Los Fastidios,
Skaos,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
X-102,
Delta 5,
Harpers Bizarre,
the Normal,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
ABBA,
Skarface,
Eric Copeland,
Altered Images,
Black Moon,
X-Ray Spex,
Joyce Sims,
Royal Trux,
Nik Kershaw,
Kenny Larkin,
Crispy Ambulance,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Tim Buckley,
Subhumans,
Intrusion,
Pere Ubu,
Dark Day,
Jeru the Damaja,
Jimmy McGriff,
Gregory Isaacs,
New York Dolls,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Associates,
Quando Quango,
OOIOO,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Roy Ayers,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Fela Kuti,
Negative Approach,
Ituana,
Bang On A Can,
Robert Görl,
Ralphi Rosario,
Q65,
Patti Smith,
Easy Going,
Liliput,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Tremeloes,
The Smiths,
Spoonie Gee,
DNA,
Ice-T,
Gang Starr,
Byron Stingily, Byron Stingily, Byron Stingily, Byron Stingily.
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.