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 Ukraine and from Philadelphia.
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 1966 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
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 Gang Starr to the rock kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Desert Stars. All the underground hits.
All Ponytail tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Faust record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Alphaville record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The J.B.'s,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Drexciya,
Darondo,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Fuzztones,
Rhythm & Sound,
Marine Girls,
Severed Heads,
The Shadows of Knight,
Eve St. Jones,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Velvet Underground,
Minnie Riperton,
Altered Images,
JFA,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Swell Maps,
Roy Ayers,
the Slits,
U.S. Maple,
Michelle Simonal,
Jerry's Kids,
The Blackbyrds,
The Dead C,
Donny Hathaway,
Barrington Levy,
The Leaves,
Bluetip,
Hot Snakes,
Kevin Saunderson,
Suicide,
Gang of Four,
The United States of America,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Gang Gang Dance,
Lightning Bolt,
Marcia Griffiths,
Young Marble Giants,
These Immortal Souls,
Accadde A,
Surgeon,
The Toasters,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Nils Olav,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Outsiders,
The Pop Group,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Arab on Radar,
Quando Quango,
The Fugs,
Con Funk Shun,
Fatback Band,
Warren Ellis,
The Monks,
48th St. Collective,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Minny Pops,
Matthew Halsall, Matthew Halsall, Matthew Halsall, Matthew Halsall.
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.