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 Togo and from Lagos.
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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Mumbai.
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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Alison Limerick to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Manfred Mann's Earth Band. All the underground hits.
All Hasil Adkins tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Chrome record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Strawberry Alarm Clock record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Malaria!,
Althea and Donna,
Motorama,
the Human League,
Kerrie Biddell,
Derrick Morgan,
The Slits,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Chris & Cosey,
E-Dancer,
Royal Trux,
Shoche,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
CMW,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Ronan,
Eric Dolphy,
Visage,
Tears for Fears,
B.T. Express,
Zero Boys,
Hardrive,
Moss Icon,
Gichy Dan,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Theoretical Girls,
June of 44,
Agent Orange,
Gabor Szabo,
Nik Kershaw,
Dawn Penn,
The Saints,
Organ,
Black Moon,
Anthony Braxton,
Quando Quango,
Funkadelic,
The Gun Club,
AZ,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Section 25,
The Zeros,
Josef K,
Radiopuhelimet,
Con Funk Shun,
Pere Ubu,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Schoolly D,
The Slackers,
Yusef Lateef,
the Sonics,
Jimmy McGriff,
Derrick May,
Gong,
Camberwell Now,
Bush Tetras,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Detroit Cobras,
Crash Course in Science,
Lalo Schifrin,
Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville.
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.