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 Malawi and from Glasgow.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Seoul.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the 808 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 Amazonics to the disco 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 Groovy Waters. All the underground hits.
All Hasil Adkins tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Public Enemy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lucky Dragons record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Al Stewart,
Chris Corsano,
Talk Talk,
The Standells,
Avey Tare,
The Names,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Buckinghams,
ABC,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Walker Brothers,
Zapp,
The Mojo Men,
Hot Snakes,
Little Man,
Sight & Sound,
Pierre Henry,
Eve St. Jones,
Althea and Donna,
Faraquet,
Mandrill,
Los Fastidios,
Wire,
Warren Ellis,
Wolf Eyes,
A Certain Ratio,
Slave,
Silicon Teens,
Anthony Braxton,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Techniques,
Letta Mbulu,
48th St. Collective,
One Last Wish,
cv313,
Marine Girls,
Chrome,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Rotary Connection,
Alton Ellis,
The Dirtbombs,
The Trojans,
EPMD,
Organ,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Vainqueur,
Gang Gang Dance,
Television,
Slick Rick,
Oneida,
Donald Byrd,
Pantytec,
The J.B.'s,
Jacob Miller,
Laurel Aitken,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Main Source, Main Source, Main Source, Main Source.
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.