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 Senegal and from Copenhagen.
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 1960 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Lyres to the jazz kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Newcleus. All the underground hits.
All Dennis Brown tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Severed Heads record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a theremin 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?
Prince Buster,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Fela Kuti,
Juan Atkins,
Skarface,
F. McDonald,
Harry Pussy,
The Grass Roots,
Moebius,
Niagra,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Wire,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Red Krayola,
The Move,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Tropical Tobacco,
Grandmaster Flash,
Bobby Byrd,
Camouflage,
Fifty Foot Hose,
10cc,
Sun Ra,
Stockholm Monsters,
Cameo,
LL Cool J,
The Sound,
Marvin Gaye,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Adolescents,
U.S. Maple,
Subhumans,
Inner City,
Darondo,
Metal Thangz,
ABBA,
Silicon Teens,
The Kinks,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Saints,
Agitation Free,
MC5,
The Dirtbombs,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Fugs,
JFA,
Crispy Ambulance,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Modern Lovers,
Joey Negro,
Tubeway Army,
The Leaves,
The Last Poets,
Yazoo,
The Smiths,
Shuggie Otis,
Bronski Beat,
Lou Reed,
Rod Modell,
Liliput, Liliput, Liliput, Liliput.
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.