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 Zimbabwe and from Mexico City.
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 1962 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the guitar 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 Strawberry Alarm Clock to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Lucky Dragons. All the underground hits.
All Qualms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jeru the Damaja record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brass Construction record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Amon Düül,
Outsiders,
The Skatalites,
Bluetip,
Thee Headcoats,
The Velvet Underground,
Gil Scott Heron,
Sam Rivers,
Tropical Tobacco,
Tomorrow,
Sun Ra,
Section 25,
Young Marble Giants,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Rapeman,
The Last Poets,
48th St. Collective,
Franke,
Howard Jones,
Lalo Schifrin,
Lou Christie,
The Slackers,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Sound,
Scientists,
the Soft Cell,
Juan Atkins,
Youth Brigade,
Sound Behaviour,
John Cale,
R.M.O.,
the Swans,
The Leaves,
Magma,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
David Axelrod,
Pharoah Sanders,
Brick,
Sixth Finger,
Unwound,
New Order,
Lungfish,
Moby Grape,
Echospace,
Schoolly D,
Skarface,
Radiohead,
Desert Stars,
Lightning Bolt,
Faraquet,
Trumans Water,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Khruangbin,
Dead Boys,
Negative Approach,
Infiniti,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Throbbing Gristle,
Kas Product,
Alison Limerick,
Rotary Connection,
Public Enemy,
Q and Not U, Q and Not U, Q and Not U, Q and Not U.
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.