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 South Africa and from Jakarta.
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 1962 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the sitar 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 Juan Atkins to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Idris Muhammad. All the underground hits.
All Judy Mowatt tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Manfred Mann's Earth Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Manfred Mann's Earth Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Sonic Youth,
Sight & Sound,
Cybotron,
Delta 5,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Pantytec,
Cecil Taylor,
Moss Icon,
Don Cherry,
Godley & Creme,
Niagra,
Pagans,
The Grass Roots,
Flipper,
Icehouse,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Bobby Byrd,
L. Decosne,
The United States of America,
ABBA,
The Names,
D'Angelo,
The Sound,
Talk Talk,
Roxette,
K-Klass,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Terrestrial Tones,
China Crisis,
The Star Department,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Underground Resistance,
Section 25,
Porter Ricks,
Funkadelic,
Alton Ellis,
The Smoke,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Easy Going,
Skriet,
The Offenders,
Blossom Toes,
Second Layer,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Jawbox,
Jerry's Kids,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Television Personalities,
Barbara Tucker,
Lower 48,
Nico,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Flash Fearless,
X-102,
The American Breed,
the Normal,
John Coltrane,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Flamin' Groovies,
Fela Kuti,
Oneida,
Wally Richardson,
Mandrill, Mandrill, Mandrill, Mandrill.
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.