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 Libya and from Milan.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 marimba 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 Birthday Party to the punk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Crispian St. Peters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every These Immortal Souls record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 harpsichord and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Average White Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Amon Düül,
Toni Rubio,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Sixth Finger,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Rakim,
L. Decosne,
Angry Samoans,
Khruangbin,
The Sonics,
T.S.O.L.,
H. Thieme,
World's Most,
Sound Behaviour,
The Fortunes,
Jacob Miller,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Jeff Lynne,
Donald Byrd,
Boogie Down Productions,
Soul Sonic Force,
Cheater Slicks,
Kurtis Blow,
Dual Sessions,
Byron Stingily,
The Leaves,
Tommy Roe,
The Martian,
Barrington Levy,
Audionom,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Wake,
Index,
Boz Scaggs,
Masters at Work,
10cc,
The Dirtbombs,
The Young Rascals,
Sparks,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Ituana,
Bobby Byrd,
The Alarm Clocks,
Desert Stars,
Delon & Dalcan,
the Bar-Kays,
Au Pairs,
Absolute Body Control,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Organ,
Infiniti,
B.T. Express,
Letta Mbulu,
Ken Boothe,
The Slits,
Terry Callier,
Zero Boys,
The Modern Lovers,
Barbara Tucker,
Susan Cadogan,
Massinfluence,
Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul.
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.