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 Portland.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 Livin' Joy to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Zero Boys. All the underground hits.
All The Shadows of Knight tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Alison Limerick record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mission of Burma 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?
Stetsasonic,
Juan Atkins,
Max Romeo,
The Toasters,
Half Japanese,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Marine Girls,
Sound Behaviour,
Aswad,
Minor Threat,
Cheater Slicks,
Harpers Bizarre,
Quantec,
Avey Tare,
Ken Boothe,
Todd Rundgren,
Harry Pussy,
The American Breed,
Kas Product,
H. Thieme,
T. Rex,
The Star Department,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Heaven 17,
Flamin' Groovies,
Shoche,
Young Marble Giants,
Isaac Hayes,
Rufus Thomas,
Bobbi Humphrey,
MDC,
Agitation Free,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Gun Club,
The Monks,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Move,
Subhumans,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Reuben Wilson,
The Golliwogs,
The Raincoats,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Anakelly,
Kerri Chandler,
The Remains,
Charles Mingus,
Average White Band,
The Count Five,
Roxy Music,
Eric Copeland,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Electric Prunes,
Zero Boys,
The Fire Engines,
Smog,
Aloha Tigers,
Alton Ellis,
Goldenarms,
Be Bop Deluxe, Be Bop Deluxe, Be Bop Deluxe, Be Bop Deluxe.
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.