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 Tanzania and from Stockholm.
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 1967 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 The Mighty Diamonds to the punk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Albert Ayler. All the underground hits.
All Spoonie Gee tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Real Kids record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 theremin and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Fatback Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cameo,
Simply Red,
Bobby Sherman,
Skaos,
Don Cherry,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Lungfish,
Sister Nancy,
Camouflage,
Neil Young,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Jimmy McGriff,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Gladiators,
The Selecter,
Main Source,
The Busters,
The New Christs,
Model 500,
Ronan,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Youth Brigade,
The Music Machine,
Joy Division,
Jeff Lynne,
Kas Product,
Unwound,
The Pop Group,
Althea and Donna,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Tres Demented,
Sun Ra,
Bill Wells,
Motorama,
The Five Americans,
The Motions,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
8 Eyed Spy,
the Bar-Kays,
One Last Wish,
Y Pants,
The Fugs,
Dual Sessions,
Flipper,
Lebanon Hanover,
Ten City,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Liliput,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Kevin Saunderson,
Circle Jerks,
Robert Hood,
Tropical Tobacco,
Country Teasers,
The Gories,
Gabor Szabo,
Gang Starr,
The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood.
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.