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 Iraq and from Taipei.
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 1964 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Girls At Our Best! to the disco 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 The Vogues. All the underground hits.
All Sun City Girls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lucky Dragons 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Buckinghams,
The Tremeloes,
Crispy Ambulance,
Organ,
Monolake,
Marshall Jefferson,
Drive Like Jehu,
The United States of America,
Steve Hackett,
Kas Product,
Scratch Acid,
CMW,
Byron Stingily,
E-Dancer,
Gang of Four,
Alton Ellis,
Severed Heads,
Sparks,
The Selecter,
Frankie Knuckles,
Brothers Johnson,
The Slits,
Skaos,
Wolf Eyes,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Gastr Del Sol,
Gabor Szabo,
The Names,
Ultravox,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Monks,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Roxy Music,
Yusef Lateef,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Fugazi,
Fat Boys,
Erasure,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
David Axelrod,
Ronan,
T. Rex,
Kevin Saunderson,
Howard Jones,
The Music Machine,
Minnie Riperton,
The Evens,
Mandrill,
Tears for Fears,
Bill Wells,
Mad Mike,
Goldenarms,
Marmalade,
Zero Boys,
The Mojo Men,
Leonard Cohen,
Bluetip,
Royal Trux,
a-ha,
Bobby Sherman,
John Cale,
Absolute Body Control,
The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs.
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.