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 Ethiopia and from Accra.
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 1961 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 synthesizer 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 John Cale to the rap 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 Tropical Tobacco. All the underground hits.
All Deakin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Evens record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Flesh Eaters record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fugazi,
Soul II Soul,
Sound Behaviour,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Buckinghams,
Fat Boys,
Ossler,
Barrington Levy,
The Red Krayola,
Silicon Teens,
Letta Mbulu,
Supertramp,
Livin' Joy,
Bang On A Can,
Henry Cow,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Five Americans,
Porter Ricks,
Hoover,
Pole,
Swell Maps,
Warsaw,
EPMD,
Oblivians,
Symarip,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Seeds,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Godley & Creme,
Gang Starr,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
This Heat,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Agitation Free,
X-Ray Spex,
Fear,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Big Daddy Kane,
Toni Rubio,
The Offenders,
Desert Stars,
Gerry Rafferty,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Procol Harum,
Infiniti,
Hashim,
Darondo,
Minor Threat,
Dead Boys,
Dennis Brown,
Jacob Miller,
Mad Mike,
Pet Shop Boys,
JFA,
Guru Guru,
the Slits,
Eric B and Rakim,
Mantronix,
Schoolly D,
Sight & Sound,
Qualms,
Juan Atkins,
The Residents,
Q and Not U, Q and Not U, Q and Not U, Q and Not U.
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.