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 Philippines and from Milan.
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 1968 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1976 at the first Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Radio Birdman to the punk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 The Five Americans. All the underground hits.
All Soul Sonic Force tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Hasil Adkins record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gong record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Star Department,
Vladislav Delay,
The Happenings,
Howard Jones,
Eurythmics,
Los Fastidios,
Porter Ricks,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Rakim,
Jeff Lynne,
Symarip,
Yusef Lateef,
Grandmaster Flash,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Blancmange,
Bush Tetras,
Cymande,
Audionom,
Au Pairs,
Marc Almond,
John Cale,
Jacob Miller,
The Detroit Cobras,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Cecil Taylor,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Suicide,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Mad Mike,
Desert Stars,
The Offenders,
Sparks,
Carl Craig,
Scratch Acid,
The Pretty Things,
The Slackers,
Freddie Wadling,
Eve St. Jones,
Ponytail,
Khruangbin,
The Modern Lovers,
John Lydon,
Funky Four + One,
Unrelated Segments,
The Grass Roots,
Kool Moe Dee,
Wally Richardson,
Chris & Cosey,
Minnie Riperton,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Excepter,
Scrapy,
Youth Brigade,
Bill Wells,
Iggy Pop,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Gil Scott Heron,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Rekid,
Patti Smith,
DJ Style,
Bobby Byrd, Bobby Byrd, Bobby Byrd, Bobby Byrd.
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.