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 Somalia and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 2001.
I was there at the first Tiga show in Montreal.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 arpeggiator 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 Susan Cadogan to the crunk 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 Sexual Harrassment. All the underground hits.
All The Smiths tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Amon Düül II record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 an oboe and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Fall record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Althea and Donna,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Bobby Sherman,
Crime,
Procol Harum,
Gregory Isaacs,
Gang Starr,
Ludus,
Wasted Youth,
Gabor Szabo,
Pulsallama,
David McCallum,
Bluetip,
Rapeman,
Dennis Brown,
Flipper,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Cheater Slicks,
The Flesh Eaters,
Michelle Simonal,
The Motions,
UT,
Shuggie Otis,
Man Eating Sloth,
Man Parrish,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Q65,
Gang Green,
Donald Byrd,
Make Up,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Durutti Column,
Howard Jones,
Toni Rubio,
Kaleidoscope,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Lalo Schifrin,
Technova,
Minny Pops,
Ronnie Foster,
Nation of Ulysses,
Half Japanese,
the Slits,
Skaos,
The Saints,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Red Krayola,
The Grass Roots,
Panda Bear,
David Bowie,
Rakim,
Stockholm Monsters,
Anakelly,
AZ,
Flamin' Groovies,
MC5,
Black Flag, Black Flag, Black Flag, Black Flag.
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.