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 Finland and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 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 Funkadelic. All the underground hits.
All Oblivians tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rosa Yemen 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Skatalites record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
PIL,
Man Parrish,
LL Cool J,
Deakin,
Bob Dylan,
Can,
Curtis Mayfield,
Malaria!,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Joey Negro,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Clear Light,
The Cure,
Intrusion,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Bronski Beat,
Q65,
June of 44,
The Fire Engines,
Jandek,
Jawbox,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Vogues,
The Fugs,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Juan Atkins,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Funky Four + One,
Vainqueur,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Buzzcocks,
Dawn Penn,
The Standells,
Kerri Chandler,
Gichy Dan,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Modern Lovers,
Lou Christie,
Goldenarms,
Danielle Patucci,
Pet Shop Boys,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Brass Construction,
Radio Birdman,
The Smiths,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Names,
The Skatalites,
Young Marble Giants,
Symarip,
Cybotron,
Gang Green,
Suburban Knight,
New Order,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Seeds,
Camberwell Now,
Negative Approach, Negative Approach, Negative Approach, Negative Approach.
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.