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 Mozambique and from Johannesburg.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Fad Gadget to the grime 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 Wally Richardson. All the underground hits.
All Aswad tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Pretty Things 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Scan 7 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Neil Young,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The J.B.'s,
Connie Case,
Public Enemy,
Bronski Beat,
Accadde A,
The Beau Brummels,
Tres Demented,
Godley & Creme,
Sex Pistols,
X-102,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Minny Pops,
Yusef Lateef,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Barry Ungar,
Wire,
Laurel Aitken,
Royal Trux,
Youth Brigade,
Johnny Clarke,
Sun City Girls,
Funky Four + One,
Gabor Szabo,
A Certain Ratio,
Stetsasonic,
Gastr Del Sol,
Shoche,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Sam Rivers,
Urselle,
Byron Stingily,
The Dead C,
Roy Ayers,
Das Ding,
Dead Boys,
Nik Kershaw,
Lower 48,
Magazine,
The Gories,
Joey Negro,
Rufus Thomas,
Donald Byrd,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Modern Lovers,
Kas Product,
Public Image Ltd.,
Gang of Four,
Cal Tjader,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Albert Ayler,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Agent Orange,
Don Cherry,
Quantec,
The Tremeloes,
PIL,
Ornette Coleman,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Pretty Things,
Moebius,
Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp.
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.