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 Zambia and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Ralphi Rosario to the dance 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 Simply Red. All the underground hits.
All Sly & The Family Stone tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Joensuu 1685 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 snare and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sunsets and Hearts,
Bronski Beat,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Gang Gang Dance,
Dual Sessions,
Newcleus,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Big Daddy Kane,
The American Breed,
UT,
Crispy Ambulance,
Barrington Levy,
Minor Threat,
Monks,
Kerri Chandler,
Black Sheep,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Fall,
Jesper Dahlback,
Charles Mingus,
Juan Atkins,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Outsiders,
Robert Wyatt,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Stereo Dub,
Sarah Menescal,
Schoolly D,
Lalo Schifrin,
Carl Craig,
Echospace,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Offenders,
Ohio Players,
The Alarm Clocks,
Throbbing Gristle,
Amon Düül II,
The Moleskins,
DNA,
Inner City,
Minnie Riperton,
Zero Boys,
Sam Rivers,
The Litter,
Liliput,
Stiv Bators,
Freddie Wadling,
Pharoah Sanders,
Depeche Mode,
Agent Orange,
Alice Coltrane,
Hashim,
Groovy Waters,
Tom Boy,
Television Personalities,
Whodini,
Infiniti,
Qualms,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Desert Stars, Desert Stars, Desert Stars, Desert Stars.
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.