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 Syria and from Madrid.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1963 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 snare 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 The Zeros to the punk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Nirvana. All the underground hits.
All Jeff Lynne tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Severed Heads 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Fifty Foot Hose record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sonic Youth,
Johnny Osbourne,
Sun City Girls,
The Fire Engines,
Swans,
Joensuu 1685,
Brick,
The Fortunes,
Livin' Joy,
Excepter,
The Grass Roots,
Neu!,
The Walker Brothers,
The Pop Group,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Groovy Waters,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Trumans Water,
Matthew Halsall,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Donny Hathaway,
Franke,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Crime,
Lakeside,
Simply Red,
Piero Umiliani,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Leonard Cohen,
David Axelrod,
Michelle Simonal,
The Divine Comedy,
Eurythmics,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Procol Harum,
Howard Jones,
Bill Near,
Agent Orange,
Todd Terry,
The Selecter,
Black Pus,
Pussy Galore,
The Searchers,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Slits,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Monks,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Echospace,
Tomorrow,
Jawbox,
The Golliwogs,
Flamin' Groovies,
Chris & Cosey,
The American Breed,
Roxy Music,
Outsiders,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Jesper Dahlback,
Half Japanese,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lyres, Lyres, Lyres, Lyres.
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.