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 Oman and from Paris.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 Donald Fagen 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 Modern Lovers to the crunk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Ken Boothe. All the underground hits.
All Crooked Eye tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Gap Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mary Jane Girls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
ABBA,
The Smoke,
The Modern Lovers,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Bootsy Collins,
Jimmy McGriff,
Metal Thangz,
Sixth Finger,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Slave,
Lucky Dragons,
Jacob Miller,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Todd Rundgren,
June Days,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Wasted Youth,
Tres Demented,
the Sonics,
Mad Mike,
OOIOO,
Eric Dolphy,
Infiniti,
Lebanon Hanover,
Easy Going,
Half Japanese,
Swell Maps,
The Sound,
Anthony Braxton,
Cymande,
The Cowsills,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Toasters,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Surgeon,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Residents,
Boogie Down Productions,
Make Up,
The American Breed,
Motorama,
Blossom Toes,
Grey Daturas,
Main Source,
China Crisis,
Max Romeo,
Hashim,
The Techniques,
Youth Brigade,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Associates,
Amazonics,
Judy Mowatt,
Alice Coltrane,
Matthew Halsall,
The Fuzztones,
Eric B and Rakim,
Robert Görl,
A Flock of Seagulls,
a-ha,
Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen.
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.