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 Uruguay and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Edmonton.
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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Selecter to the dance kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Sun Ra Arkestra. All the underground hits.
All The Monochrome Set tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Selecter 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 synthesizer and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Last Poets record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Black Pus,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Electric Prunes,
The Blackbyrds,
Eric Dolphy,
the Sonics,
Circle Jerks,
Lakeside,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Kas Product,
Ornette Coleman,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Brick,
Skarface,
Crash Course in Science,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Flipper,
Sarah Menescal,
The Evens,
Stetsasonic,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Skriet,
Grey Daturas,
Niagra,
Judy Mowatt,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Harpers Bizarre,
Mr. Review,
Tubeway Army,
The Birthday Party,
Bill Wells,
Nas,
Qualms,
T. Rex,
The Happenings,
Deepchord,
Lalo Schifrin,
Aaron Thompson,
Depeche Mode,
Ten City,
DJ Style,
Eric Copeland,
Amon Düül II,
The Selecter,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Faust,
Suburban Knight,
The Kinks,
Franke,
Stiv Bators,
La Düsseldorf,
Tim Buckley,
The Durutti Column,
Camberwell Now,
Terry Callier,
Panda Bear,
The Associates,
Gang Green,
The Young Rascals,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Shadows of Knight,
Minnie Riperton,
Ronnie Foster, Ronnie Foster, Ronnie Foster, Ronnie Foster.
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.