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 Syria and from Milan.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the marimba 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 Jacob Miller to the rap 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 Deepchord. All the underground hits.
All La Düsseldorf tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Eden Ahbez record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oblivians record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Anthony Braxton,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Electric Prunes,
Henry Cow,
Agent Orange,
Bill Wells,
Sarah Menescal,
Maleditus Sound,
Black Pus,
Tubeway Army,
Soul Sonic Force,
the Swans,
T.S.O.L.,
The Motions,
Desert Stars,
Young Marble Giants,
Von Mondo,
Monolake,
The Busters,
Scion,
Mantronix,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Minnie Riperton,
Soul II Soul,
Todd Terry,
The Black Dice,
Bad Manners,
Siglo XX,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Depeche Mode,
Danielle Patucci,
Glambeats Corp.,
B.T. Express,
Alton Ellis,
Dual Sessions,
Khruangbin,
Pussy Galore,
Cheater Slicks,
Simply Red,
Eden Ahbez,
The Neon Judgement,
the Soft Cell,
The Divine Comedy,
June of 44,
Livin' Joy,
Eric B and Rakim,
Electric Prunes,
Soft Cell,
Massinfluence,
Boz Scaggs,
Arcadia,
Davy DMX,
In Retrospect,
Television Personalities,
Moby Grape,
Visage,
Main Source,
Robert Hood,
Amon Düül,
The Fire Engines,
Fat Boys,
Fear,
The J.B.'s, The J.B.'s, The J.B.'s, The J.B.'s.
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.