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 Belize and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 Mexico City and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 T. Rex to the dance kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Drive Like Jehu. All the underground hits.
All Agent Orange tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Harry Pussy 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Pop Group record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Barrington Levy,
Qualms,
Angry Samoans,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Robert Hood,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Surgeon,
Pagans,
John Coltrane,
Jimmy McGriff,
Guru Guru,
Ronan,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Buckinghams,
Tom Boy,
Brothers Johnson,
The Invisible,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
June Days,
the Bar-Kays,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Gastr Del Sol,
Eli Mardock,
Spandau Ballet,
Public Image Ltd.,
Radio Birdman,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Soul Sonic Force,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Matthew Halsall,
B.T. Express,
Procol Harum,
The Seeds,
Maleditus Sound,
Funkadelic,
E-Dancer,
Zero Boys,
Massinfluence,
Main Source,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Aswad,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Yellowson,
Slick Rick,
Alphaville,
Morten Harket,
Pere Ubu,
The Pop Group,
Heaven 17,
The Sonics,
Rekid,
Harpers Bizarre,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Gerry Rafferty,
Organ,
Audionom,
The Alarm Clocks,
The J.B.'s,
Derrick May,
Ken Boothe,
Television Personalities,
Sandy B,
The Index, The Index, The Index, The Index.
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.