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 Belarus and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 the Bar-Kays to the punk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 John Lydon. All the underground hits.
All Rakim tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James White and The Blacks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Public Enemy,
Groovy Waters,
Thee Headcoats,
The Blackbyrds,
The Doobie Brothers,
Yusef Lateef,
Gichy Dan,
Scott Walker,
Sister Nancy,
Man Parrish,
The Smiths,
Chris Corsano,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Carl Craig,
The Skatalites,
Black Flag,
Wolf Eyes,
Goldenarms,
Erasure,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The United States of America,
Jawbox,
Eli Mardock,
Cal Tjader,
Scratch Acid,
Shoche,
the Association,
Terrestrial Tones,
Crooked Eye,
The Gun Club,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Max Romeo,
Soul Sonic Force,
Brothers Johnson,
The Divine Comedy,
Malaria!,
The Saints,
Bizarre Inc.,
Hashim,
Derrick May,
Hardrive,
James White and The Blacks,
Graham Central Station,
Girls At Our Best!,
Cecil Taylor,
Section 25,
Outsiders,
Slave,
Kurtis Blow,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Red Krayola,
Isaac Hayes,
Aural Exciters,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Sixth Finger,
Todd Rundgren,
The Slackers,
The Durutti Column,
The Modern Lovers,
Letta Mbulu,
EPMD,
Sarah Menescal,
Ken Boothe, Ken Boothe, Ken Boothe, Ken Boothe.
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.