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 Namibia and from Copenhagen.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 spring reverb 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 DJ Style to the rap kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Notorious Big And Bone Thugs. All the underground hits.
All Slave tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Anthony Braxton 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grey Daturas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Oblivians,
Amon Düül,
Tubeway Army,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Josef K,
Spoonie Gee,
Soft Machine,
Bronski Beat,
Flash Fearless,
Suburban Knight,
Pet Shop Boys,
Scott Walker,
Skarface,
Lightning Bolt,
Idris Muhammad,
JFA,
Nik Kershaw,
Babytalk,
David Bowie,
The Slits,
Pharoah Sanders,
Mandrill,
Iggy Pop,
The Tremeloes,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Organ,
The Blues Magoos,
Deadbeat,
Black Flag,
Circle Jerks,
Pantytec,
Jimmy McGriff,
Ralphi Rosario,
Spandau Ballet,
New Order,
Robert Görl,
Joensuu 1685,
Cal Tjader,
Terry Callier,
Girls At Our Best!,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Minnie Riperton,
Reuben Wilson,
Interpol,
Isaac Hayes,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Cabaret Voltaire,
X-101,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Bootsy Collins,
cv313,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Dorothy Ashby,
The Count Five,
Ponytail,
Public Image Ltd.,
Banda Bassotti,
Unwound,
Marshall Jefferson,
Gang of Four,
Todd Terry,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
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.