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 Benin and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Royal Family And The Poor to the rock kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Alton Ellis. All the underground hits.
All Zero Boys tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Litter record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 a harpsichord and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Cowsills record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cecil Taylor,
Don Cherry,
The Flesh Eaters,
Lyres,
Kool Moe Dee,
the Bar-Kays,
Johnny Clarke,
Tears for Fears,
Porter Ricks,
The Seeds,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Gladiators,
Accadde A,
Surgeon,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Blues Magoos,
Neu!,
Morten Harket,
Urselle,
The Detroit Cobras,
Todd Rundgren,
Max Romeo,
Iggy Pop,
The Kinks,
John Foxx,
Delon & Dalcan,
Roxette,
Leonard Cohen,
The Smoke,
Black Flag,
The United States of America,
Lucky Dragons,
June of 44,
The Busters,
Jerry's Kids,
MDC,
Livin' Joy,
Adolescents,
Johnny Osbourne,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Modern Lovers,
Parry Music,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Eddi Front,
Freddie Wadling,
Gastr Del Sol,
Peter & Gordon,
Gregory Isaacs,
Blossom Toes,
Tommy Roe,
Erykah Badu,
Ralphi Rosario,
Matthew Halsall,
Nas,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Marshall Jefferson,
Roxy Music,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Half Japanese,
Rufus Thomas,
Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu.
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.