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 Nepal and from Jakarta.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Madrid.
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 snare 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 The Modern Lovers to the dance 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 Japan. All the underground hits.
All kango's stein massive tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Soul Sonic Force 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Byron Stingily record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Swans,
Aural Exciters,
Eli Mardock,
Magazine,
Jeru the Damaja,
Accadde A,
The Raincoats,
the Association,
the Soft Cell,
Nico,
Vladislav Delay,
Steve Hackett,
Rotary Connection,
The American Breed,
The Mojo Men,
Terrestrial Tones,
DNA,
Nirvana,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Wolf Eyes,
Robert Hood,
Pantytec,
Hashim,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Crispian St. Peters,
Jandek,
The Doors,
Scientists,
Au Pairs,
The Gap Band,
Sparks,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Mad Mike,
Animal Collective,
Rod Modell,
Massinfluence,
Anthony Braxton,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Groovy Waters,
Jacques Brel,
Con Funk Shun,
Nik Kershaw,
Scratch Acid,
Harpers Bizarre,
Inner City,
Main Source,
Fela Kuti,
Barrington Levy,
Terry Callier,
Sun City Girls,
Don Cherry,
Mission of Burma,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Fuzztones,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
the Bar-Kays,
Soft Cell,
Bush Tetras,
Pantaleimon,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Fatback Band,
The Tremeloes,
Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo.
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.