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 Belgium and from Paris.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Bobby Byrd to the disco 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 The Durutti Column. All the underground hits.
All Todd Rundgren tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fatback Band 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dead C record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eric Copeland,
Terry Callier,
Delta 5,
Avey Tare,
Max Romeo,
FM Einheit,
The Durutti Column,
Quadrant,
Black Flag,
Colin Newman,
The Red Krayola,
Slave,
Kas Product,
Aswad,
Ultravox,
The Doors,
Agitation Free,
Lucky Dragons,
Tim Buckley,
Matthew Bourne,
The Divine Comedy,
the Human League,
Bootsy Collins,
Ralphi Rosario,
K-Klass,
The Smoke,
Gil Scott Heron,
10cc,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Dual Sessions,
Eve St. Jones,
Steve Hackett,
F. McDonald,
Basic Channel,
Blancmange,
Cameo,
Mo-Dettes,
Peter & Gordon,
Buzzcocks,
Bill Near,
The Vogues,
8 Eyed Spy,
Parry Music,
Letta Mbulu,
Matthew Halsall,
Patti Smith,
the Association,
Lungfish,
Groovy Waters,
Al Stewart,
The Cramps,
Von Mondo,
Nick Fraelich,
Roger Hodgson,
Chris Corsano,
Reagan Youth,
Livin' Joy,
Whodini,
Yazoo,
Tears for Fears,
Arcadia, Arcadia, Arcadia, Arcadia.
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.