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 India and from Stockholm.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Marmalade to the rock kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Barrington Levy. All the underground hits.
All Harmonia tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scientists record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang on a Can All-Stars record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
K-Klass,
Don Cherry,
The Young Rascals,
ABBA,
Alton Ellis,
a-ha,
Marcia Griffiths,
Derrick Morgan,
The Index,
Roxette,
Masters at Work,
KRS-One,
Jimmy McGriff,
Tres Demented,
Max Romeo,
Nirvana,
T.S.O.L.,
Panda Bear,
The Star Department,
Mr. Review,
The Slits,
Bronski Beat,
Joensuu 1685,
Zero Boys,
Monolake,
The Gladiators,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Swell Maps,
Lalo Schifrin,
Eric Dolphy,
Joyce Sims,
Niagra,
MDC,
Smog,
The Grass Roots,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Cramps,
Angry Samoans,
Q and Not U,
The Martian,
The Monochrome Set,
Das Ding,
Kayak,
Bob Dylan,
Sugar Minott,
Gang Gang Dance,
Shoche,
Schoolly D,
Country Joe & The Fish,
10cc,
Michelle Simonal,
Whodini,
the Bar-Kays,
Charles Mingus,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Stiv Bators,
Echospace,
Matthew Halsall,
John Holt,
Darondo,
Lucky Dragons,
Audionom, Audionom, Audionom, Audionom.
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.