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 Iceland and from Tehran.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Mad Mike to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Swans. All the underground hits.
All Dual Sessions tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ralphi Rosario record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Crash Course in Science record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Smoke,
The Fugs,
Roxette,
48th St. Collective,
Au Pairs,
Ludus,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Peter and Kerry,
Ronan,
Aural Exciters,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Johnny Clarke,
Cheater Slicks,
DJ Sneak,
Pere Ubu,
kango's stein massive,
Skarface,
The Sonics,
Radio Birdman,
Boz Scaggs,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The United States of America,
Black Sheep,
The Mojo Men,
The Modern Lovers,
The Gap Band,
The Trojans,
La Düsseldorf,
Terrestrial Tones,
New York Dolls,
The Buckinghams,
KRS-One,
PIL,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Soft Machine,
Grauzone,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Rosa Yemen,
Darondo,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Stooges,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Gregory Isaacs,
Morten Harket,
The Tremeloes,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Reagan Youth,
The Smiths,
Bluetip,
Television Personalities,
The Count Five,
Ohio Players,
Joe Smooth,
Derrick Morgan,
The Selecter,
Barry Ungar,
Ponytail,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Knickerbockers,
Swans, Swans, Swans, Swans.
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.