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 Cape Verde and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 snare 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 Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel to the disco kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 London Community Gospel Choir. All the underground hits.
All The Misunderstood tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pere Ubu record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a R.M.O. record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Man Parrish,
Roxette,
Whodini,
Ituana,
T. Rex,
Rakim,
Soulsonic Force,
The Techniques,
Public Enemy,
The Kinks,
Gang Green,
E-Dancer,
Prince Buster,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Delon & Dalcan,
the Human League,
Ossler,
The Residents,
Adolescents,
Crash Course in Science,
The Associates,
The Beau Brummels,
Agent Orange,
T.S.O.L.,
Boredoms,
Scion,
Fugazi,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Blossom Toes,
Rufus Thomas,
The Walker Brothers,
Suicide,
Gang of Four,
X-101,
Intrusion,
Make Up,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Smiths,
Bootsy Collins,
Magma,
Liliput,
Television,
The Misunderstood,
Arab on Radar,
Shoche,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Funky Four + One,
Radiohead,
H. Thieme,
Deadbeat,
Procol Harum,
Slick Rick,
Susan Cadogan,
The Fortunes,
Lou Christie,
The Monks,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Lightning Bolt,
Chrome,
June of 44,
Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville.
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.