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 Jordan and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Average White Band to the jazz 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 Absolute Body Control. All the underground hits.
All Aswad tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gian Franco Pienzio record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swell Maps record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Johnny Clarke,
The Motions,
Lou Christie,
Boz Scaggs,
10cc,
Man Parrish,
Cluster,
Basic Channel,
Delta 5,
Alice Coltrane,
the Normal,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
MC5,
Malaria!,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Lower 48,
Tim Buckley,
Amon Düül II,
Bobby Byrd,
Parry Music,
Fear,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
R.M.O.,
Ponytail,
Visage,
Kerri Chandler,
The Names,
David Bowie,
Popol Vuh,
Sun Ra,
Bobby Womack,
Stereo Dub,
Vainqueur,
Bootsy Collins,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Ultravox,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Khruangbin,
Kayak,
Joy Division,
Monks,
The Slackers,
Shoche,
Mars,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Cameo,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Darondo,
Patti Smith,
Kevin Saunderson,
Derrick Morgan,
Lyres,
Yellowson,
Nas,
Boogie Down Productions,
Altered Images,
Eric Copeland,
Scratch Acid,
Gang Gang Dance,
Big Daddy Kane,
Rhythm & Sound, Rhythm & Sound, Rhythm & Sound, Rhythm & Sound.
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.