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 Costa Rica and from Copenhagen.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Trojans to the punk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Litter. All the underground hits.
All Bang On A Can tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 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 an organ and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jimmy McGriff record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
These Immortal Souls,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Nation of Ulysses,
Von Mondo,
The United States of America,
Simply Red,
Mad Mike,
Soft Cell,
Stereo Dub,
Rotary Connection,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Buckinghams,
Crash Course in Science,
Dual Sessions,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Jawbox,
The J.B.'s,
OOIOO,
Essential Logic,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Scott Walker,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Yazoo,
Yusef Lateef,
Liliput,
Rufus Thomas,
Roxette,
Smog,
Mandrill,
Marmalade,
8 Eyed Spy,
Echospace,
Ash Ra Tempel,
R.M.O.,
Girls At Our Best!,
New York Dolls,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Brand Nubian,
The Music Machine,
Grauzone,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Real Kids,
Guru Guru,
Oneida,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Barbara Tucker,
The Fire Engines,
Matthew Bourne,
Rapeman,
Animal Collective,
Kenny Larkin,
Eric B and Rakim,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Marcia Griffiths,
Sex Pistols,
Tears for Fears,
Duran Duran,
Porter Ricks, Porter Ricks, Porter Ricks, Porter Ricks.
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.