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 Bhutan and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1964 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 rhodes 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 Todd Terry to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 The Searchers. All the underground hits.
All Lyres tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ajijia Myrayebe 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Terry Callier record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Anthony Braxton,
Sandy B,
Altered Images,
Livin' Joy,
China Crisis,
John Cale,
Ossler,
Echospace,
Sight & Sound,
R.M.O.,
Isaac Hayes,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Victims,
Eric B and Rakim,
Wolf Eyes,
The United States of America,
Parry Music,
The Electric Prunes,
Barry Ungar,
Crime,
Toni Rubio,
Icehouse,
Ultimate Spinach,
the Sonics,
Thee Headcoats,
Goldenarms,
The Seeds,
Vainqueur,
The Gladiators,
Pere Ubu,
Donny Hathaway,
La Düsseldorf,
Animal Collective,
U.S. Maple,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Fortunes,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Buzzcocks,
LL Cool J,
Bill Near,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Lakeside,
Althea and Donna,
8 Eyed Spy,
Agitation Free,
Maurizio,
Delta 5,
Tears for Fears,
Kerrie Biddell,
Marvin Gaye,
Amazonics,
Organ,
Dennis Brown,
The Happenings,
The Doobie Brothers,
L. Decosne,
Barclay James Harvest,
Thompson Twins,
The Music Machine,
Gong,
The Wake, The Wake, The Wake, The Wake.
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.