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 Hong Kong.
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 1963 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Patti Smith to the punk 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 Lou Christie. All the underground hits.
All Radiopuhelimet tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mark Hollis record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nico record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Michelle Simonal,
Andrew Hill,
A Certain Ratio,
Public Enemy,
Scratch Acid,
L. Decosne,
Blossom Toes,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Sam Rivers,
Skarface,
Popol Vuh,
Basic Channel,
Leonard Cohen,
Hot Snakes,
Clear Light,
LL Cool J,
Los Fastidios,
Brass Construction,
Hardrive,
the Fania All-Stars,
Chris & Cosey,
Jandek,
The Fire Engines,
the Slits,
Derrick May,
Marmalade,
Colin Newman,
Amon Düül II,
Rod Modell,
Max Romeo,
Buzzcocks,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
MDC,
Wolf Eyes,
Rites of Spring,
H. Thieme,
The Detroit Cobras,
Glenn Branca,
Zapp,
Terry Callier,
Q65,
JFA,
Nas,
Godley & Creme,
Funkadelic,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Bizarre Inc.,
Lebanon Hanover,
Fela Kuti,
Pierre Henry,
Ornette Coleman,
Hoover,
The Blues Magoos,
Cheater Slicks,
Robert Hood,
T.S.O.L.,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Newcleus,
Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside.
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.