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 Brunei and from Stockholm.
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 1961 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Bob Dylan to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Nirvana. All the underground hits.
All The Motions tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Severed Heads record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kerrie Biddell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Idris Muhammad,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Bobby Hutcherson,
X-102,
The Invisible,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Grauzone,
the Germs,
The Associates,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Neon Judgement,
The Litter,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Josef K,
Marmalade,
Aaron Thompson,
ABBA,
Sonic Youth,
Motorama,
Gregory Isaacs,
Sarah Menescal,
Ponytail,
Funkadelic,
The Velvet Underground,
10cc,
The Modern Lovers,
Tubeway Army,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Wire,
Slave,
Alphaville,
Tim Buckley,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Monks,
Eve St. Jones,
Supertramp,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
the Human League,
The Star Department,
Scott Walker,
Lebanon Hanover,
Gabor Szabo,
Harry Pussy,
Audionom,
The Last Poets,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Jeru the Damaja,
Jawbox,
The Index,
Ken Boothe,
John Cale,
The Techniques,
Unrelated Segments,
Mary Jane Girls,
Kayak,
Joe Finger,
Neil Young,
Von Mondo,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Birthday Party,
Radiohead,
Lungfish,
Qualms, Qualms, Qualms, Qualms.
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.