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 Belarus and from London.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 rhodes 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 Sex Pistols to the punk 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 Kango’s Stein Massive. All the underground hits.
All KRS-One tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Essential Logic record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeru the Damaja record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sparks,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Pop Group,
Johnny Clarke,
Au Pairs,
Theoretical Girls,
The Vogues,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Sun City Girls,
The Pretty Things,
Flipper,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Television,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Five Americans,
The Stooges,
Niagra,
U.S. Maple,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Motions,
Reagan Youth,
Barbara Tucker,
Vladislav Delay,
Glambeats Corp.,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Jeru the Damaja,
ABC,
Cluster,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Mr. Review,
The United States of America,
This Heat,
Bill Near,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Bob Dylan,
Spoonie Gee,
Goldenarms,
Clear Light,
Sarah Menescal,
Leonard Cohen,
Ultimate Spinach,
Howard Jones,
Byron Stingily,
Peter & Gordon,
Max Romeo,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Schoolly D,
Gang Gang Dance,
Flash Fearless,
R.M.O.,
Arthur Verocai,
Black Sheep,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Das Ding,
Flamin' Groovies,
the Bar-Kays,
Susan Cadogan,
Bobby Sherman,
Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller, Jacob Miller.
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.