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 Kuwait and from Edmonton.
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 1966 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the organ 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 Hasil Adkins to the electroclash 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 Vainqueur. All the underground hits.
All John Holt tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Peanut Butter Conspiracy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 an organ and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Excepter record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Camberwell Now,
Jandek,
The Gun Club,
Model 500,
The Smiths,
Gong,
The Fortunes,
Judy Mowatt,
Parry Music,
Gregory Isaacs,
Radiohead,
Bauhaus,
Lee Hazlewood,
Television,
Urselle,
Howard Jones,
The Raincoats,
Cymande,
Archie Shepp,
One Last Wish,
CMW,
Marmalade,
Dead Boys,
the Human League,
Gichy Dan,
Iggy Pop,
Quadrant,
The Five Americans,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Desert Stars,
Blake Baxter,
Lightning Bolt,
Ultravox,
Porter Ricks,
Liliput,
Rod Modell,
Index,
Pylon,
Harry Pussy,
Supertramp,
Icehouse,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Erykah Badu,
Tom Boy,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Country Teasers,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Roxy Music,
Don Cherry,
Subhumans,
Delta 5,
Glenn Branca,
Audionom,
T.S.O.L.,
Kenny Larkin,
Tropical Tobacco,
the Normal,
Joey Negro,
Byron Stingily,
Ornette Coleman,
the Association, the Association, the Association, the Association.
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.