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 Bulgaria and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1962 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the güiro 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 H. Thieme to the techno kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Gian Franco Pienzio. All the underground hits.
All Kool Moe Dee tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultra Naté record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 an oboe and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joe Smooth record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare 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?
Eli Mardock,
The Star Department,
Yazoo,
The Trojans,
Rapeman,
Skriet,
Rhythm & Sound,
Kayak,
The Standells,
Rufus Thomas,
Radio Birdman,
Severed Heads,
Niagra,
Heaven 17,
The United States of America,
Janne Schatter,
Minny Pops,
The Walker Brothers,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Jandek,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Yaz,
ABC,
The Cowsills,
Idris Muhammad,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
the Association,
Mars,
Barrington Levy,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
A Certain Ratio,
Gang Green,
Royal Trux,
The Invisible,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Bizarre Inc.,
Urselle,
Piero Umiliani,
Tomorrow,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Cal Tjader,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Accadde A,
Alton Ellis,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Faraquet,
Crooked Eye,
Matthew Bourne,
The Barracudas,
H. Thieme,
Lakeside,
Joensuu 1685,
Guru Guru,
Roxette,
Jacques Brel,
Smog,
Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers.
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.