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 Slovakia and from Accra.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Taipei.
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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the organ 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 Guru Guru to the rock kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Eli Mardock. All the underground hits.
All Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Heavy D & The Boyz record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 snare and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tropical Tobacco record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Raincoats,
Deepchord,
Pharoah Sanders,
OOIOO,
Howard Jones,
Boz Scaggs,
Eden Ahbez,
Stetsasonic,
Au Pairs,
Organ,
Nico,
Mark Hollis,
Make Up,
Wings,
Deadbeat,
Dawn Penn,
Lalann,
Todd Terry,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Ralphi Rosario,
8 Eyed Spy,
Eric B and Rakim,
Crispy Ambulance,
Colin Newman,
Quando Quango,
Saccharine Trust,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Searchers,
Average White Band,
Talk Talk,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Animal Collective,
Dorothy Ashby,
Wally Richardson,
Eurythmics,
The Tremeloes,
Peter and Kerry,
F. McDonald,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Ice-T,
The Count Five,
Black Moon,
Magazine,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Brass Construction,
The Dave Clark Five,
Jandek,
the Association,
Mo-Dettes,
D'Angelo,
Ultravox,
Unwound,
Clear Light,
DJ Sneak,
The Remains,
One Last Wish,
Ohio Players,
New Age Steppers,
The Birthday Party,
Soulsonic Force,
Grey Daturas,
Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus.
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.