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 Namibia and from Hong Kong.
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 1961 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Evens to the punk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Jeru the Damaja. All the underground hits.
All The Chocolate Watch Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Matthew Halsall 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fugazi,
Black Pus,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
The Human League,
June Days,
New Age Steppers,
Rapeman,
Juan Atkins,
Y Pants,
Iggy Pop,
Donald Byrd,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
June of 44,
The Star Department,
Roger Hodgson,
The Trojans,
Cymande,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Quando Quango,
Can,
Traffic Nightmare,
Young Marble Giants,
Severed Heads,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Skaos,
Glenn Branca,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Bill Near,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Babytalk,
Heaven 17,
Accadde A,
Intrusion,
The Vogues,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Tom Boy,
Ronan,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Five Americans,
Buzzcocks,
Bobby Womack,
Amon Düül II,
Nik Kershaw,
10cc,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Pretty Things,
The Knickerbockers,
Rosa Yemen,
Junior Murvin,
Amon Düül,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Aloha Tigers,
The Fugs,
Gil Scott Heron,
Basic Channel,
The Fire Engines,
Symarip,
The Busters,
Qualms, Qualms, Qualms, Qualms.
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.