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 Palau and from Lyon.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 theremin 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 Symarip to the jazz 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 Marvin Gaye. All the underground hits.
All The Young Rascals tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Eve St. Jones 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Monks,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Busters,
Zapp,
the Slits,
The Standells,
Sarah Menescal,
Duran Duran,
Rhythm & Sound,
B.T. Express,
T. Rex,
Echospace,
Camouflage,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Sound,
The Barracudas,
Marcia Griffiths,
Aswad,
Gong,
Vladislav Delay,
The Human League,
Grauzone,
Harpers Bizarre,
Tommy Roe,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Laurel Aitken,
Bronski Beat,
Ronan,
Andrew Hill,
Connie Case,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Aural Exciters,
Jandek,
OOIOO,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Dawn Penn,
Rekid,
New Age Steppers,
Ronnie Foster,
Loose Ends,
L. Decosne,
Altered Images,
The Stooges,
Eurythmics,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Radiohead,
Icehouse,
Chris & Cosey,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Lalo Schifrin,
Television Personalities,
Archie Shepp,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Arcadia,
Juan Atkins,
Youth Brigade,
Interpol,
John Foxx,
Johnny Clarke,
Crispian St. Peters,
Subhumans,
E-Dancer,
Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now.
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.