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 Seychelles and from Tokyo.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Philadelphia.
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 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 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 Ultravox to the dance 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 Dark Day. All the underground hits.
All Flash Fearless tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Flag 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Boz Scaggs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Man Eating Sloth,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Eden Ahbez,
Camouflage,
Faust,
Soft Cell,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Pulsallama,
Wally Richardson,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Throbbing Gristle,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Pierre Henry,
Aloha Tigers,
Judy Mowatt,
Accadde A,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Patti Smith,
Sugar Minott,
Alphaville,
Scan 7,
Connie Case,
Brand Nubian,
John Cale,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Gang of Four,
These Immortal Souls,
Liliput,
Jesper Dahlback,
Jawbox,
Marshall Jefferson,
Symarip,
Slick Rick,
Los Fastidios,
Procol Harum,
The Doors,
Agitation Free,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Fad Gadget,
Television,
The Five Americans,
Bush Tetras,
Dark Day,
Whodini,
Bobby Womack,
The Durutti Column,
Spoonie Gee,
Glenn Branca,
Black Pus,
Donald Byrd,
Jacques Brel,
The Standells,
Moby Grape,
Circle Jerks,
The Selecter,
Quantec,
Yazoo,
The Pretty Things,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Tomorrow,
Mad Mike,
David McCallum, David McCallum, David McCallum, David McCallum.
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.