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 Japan and from Madrid.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Gian Franco Pienzio to the punk 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 Livin' Joy. All the underground hits.
All Urselle tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Trojans 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Wire record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ponytail,
The Selecter,
Albert Ayler,
Siglo XX,
Andrew Hill,
Brothers Johnson,
Von Mondo,
Scion,
The Standells,
Sound Behaviour,
Tomorrow,
Nils Olav,
R.M.O.,
Girls At Our Best!,
Barrington Levy,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Simply Red,
Kayak,
Banda Bassotti,
Rosa Yemen,
Aural Exciters,
Yaz,
Frankie Knuckles,
Donald Byrd,
Lee Hazlewood,
Ultravox,
The Zeros,
Hasil Adkins,
Second Layer,
Stiv Bators,
Piero Umiliani,
Lakeside,
Fad Gadget,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
World's Most,
Byron Stingily,
Inner City,
Ossler,
Idris Muhammad,
The Sound,
Alison Limerick,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Kerri Chandler,
Porter Ricks,
Chris Corsano,
Sandy B,
The Move,
the Sonics,
Soul Sonic Force,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Grey Daturas,
Carl Craig,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Althea and Donna,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Minnie Riperton,
The Wake,
Slick Rick,
Yazoo,
Con Funk Shun,
Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh.
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.