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 Lesotho and from Spokane.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the guitar 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 Black Moon 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 Donald Byrd. All the underground hits.
All Todd Terry tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Crispy Ambulance record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Happenings record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Q and Not U,
New Age Steppers,
Reuben Wilson,
Sam Rivers,
The Associates,
Intrusion,
Eve St. Jones,
Unwound,
The Beau Brummels,
The Fortunes,
Crispy Ambulance,
Dawn Penn,
Ice-T,
Rhythm & Sound,
Freddie Wadling,
These Immortal Souls,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Organ,
The Cramps,
Don Cherry,
Simply Red,
Gong,
The Cure,
Cameo,
Scratch Acid,
Pussy Galore,
Smog,
Pagans,
Warren Ellis,
The Happenings,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Interpol,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Gun Club,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
U.S. Maple,
The Electric Prunes,
Black Sheep,
Quantec,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Visage,
Steve Hackett,
Little Man,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Popol Vuh,
Terry Callier,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The Knickerbockers,
New Order,
The Flesh Eaters,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Scientists,
Ten City,
Angry Samoans,
The Young Rascals,
Panda Bear,
The Raincoats,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes.
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.