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 Ireland and from Columbus.
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 1963 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Neon Judgement to the funk 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 Quadrant. All the underground hits.
All Howard Jones tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nils Olav record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Evens record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Yusef Lateef,
Gabor Szabo,
Easy Going,
Pulsallama,
Joy Division,
Kerrie Biddell,
Leonard Cohen,
Urselle,
Clear Light,
Gregory Isaacs,
the Association,
Black Pus,
Crooked Eye,
The Doobie Brothers,
Drive Like Jehu,
Matthew Bourne,
The Fuzztones,
Darondo,
The Mummies,
Lakeside,
Bootsy Collins,
Soul II Soul,
Brass Construction,
Derrick Morgan,
Sam Rivers,
Swans,
Newcleus,
Funky Four + One,
Icehouse,
Scrapy,
Cal Tjader,
Youth Brigade,
Wings,
Jeru the Damaja,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
John Lydon,
Tommy Roe,
Boz Scaggs,
Flipper,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Goldenarms,
Fad Gadget,
Unwound,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Gories,
Eric Dolphy,
E-Dancer,
Lightning Bolt,
Connie Case,
Gil Scott Heron,
Barbara Tucker,
Scott Walker,
World's Most,
Cybotron,
Byron Stingily,
Don Cherry,
Monks,
Donny Hathaway,
Ralphi Rosario,
Jeff Lynne,
Hoover,
Fat Boys,
Bobby Womack, Bobby Womack, Bobby Womack, Bobby Womack.
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.