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 Ethiopia and from Copenhagen.
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 1960 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Lagos.
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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the mellotron 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 Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 to the rap 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 Eve St. Jones. All the underground hits.
All Ultimate Spinach tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gichy Dan record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 a theremin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeff Mills record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Marine Girls,
Model 500,
Khruangbin,
EPMD,
Tubeway Army,
The Slits,
Joy Division,
Scan 7,
Eli Mardock,
B.T. Express,
Slick Rick,
Swans,
Reagan Youth,
The Birthday Party,
Los Fastidios,
Terry Callier,
Marcia Griffiths,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Interpol,
Smog,
Barclay James Harvest,
Chris Corsano,
Country Joe & The Fish,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Electric Prunes,
Marc Almond,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Gories,
Wolf Eyes,
Johnny Clarke,
Nirvana,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Bobby Byrd,
Royal Trux,
Cameo,
The Searchers,
Thompson Twins,
Jeff Lynne,
Soul Sonic Force,
Ohio Players,
Fat Boys,
Babytalk,
The Seeds,
Lyres,
John Lydon,
Panda Bear,
L. Decosne,
Althea and Donna,
Siglo XX,
Gang Gang Dance,
Boz Scaggs,
World's Most,
Marmalade,
The Sound,
Aaron Thompson,
James White and The Blacks,
The Tremeloes,
Radio Birdman,
Angry Samoans,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry.
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.