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 Cuba and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Chic show in New York.
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 1967 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 clarinet 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 Liliput to the punk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Tommy Roe. All the underground hits.
All Sight & Sound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sun Ra Arkestra 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Neil Young & Crazy Horse record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Aloha Tigers,
Agitation Free,
Rakim,
The Raincoats,
Drive Like Jehu,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Eli Mardock,
The Index,
Public Enemy,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Jesper Dahlback,
Funky Four + One,
Soul Sonic Force,
Babytalk,
CMW,
Youth Brigade,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
48th St. Collective,
Jerry's Kids,
Tom Boy,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Sun Ra,
The Electric Prunes,
KRS-One,
Boogie Down Productions,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Sister Nancy,
Donny Hathaway,
Chris Corsano,
The American Breed,
Mad Mike,
Rod Modell,
The Fire Engines,
cv313,
Curtis Mayfield,
Mo-Dettes,
Hardrive,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Howard Jones,
Brothers Johnson,
The Blues Magoos,
Bobby Byrd,
Dead Boys,
Television,
Kas Product,
The Slits,
Prince Buster,
Qualms,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Marvin Gaye,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Gang of Four,
Average White Band,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
The Misunderstood,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Pylon,
Oneida,
Grey Daturas,
Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya.
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.