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 El Salvador and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Suicide to the punk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Zapp. All the underground hits.
All Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Moleskins 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kayak record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lower 48,
Byron Stingily,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Monochrome Set,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sparks,
Judy Mowatt,
Aaron Thompson,
Erykah Badu,
Slave,
Fluxion,
Donald Byrd,
Silicon Teens,
The Martian,
The Mummies,
DJ Sneak,
The Misunderstood,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Babytalk,
One Last Wish,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Crispian St. Peters,
OOIOO,
Soulsonic Force,
The Music Machine,
The Residents,
Suburban Knight,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Niagra,
Blake Baxter,
Surgeon,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Bizarre Inc.,
kango's stein massive,
Johnny Clarke,
Amon Düül,
Magma,
Grauzone,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Prince Buster,
Althea and Donna,
Crime,
Cameo,
Grandmaster Flash,
Boredoms,
Delon & Dalcan,
John Cale,
Bobby Womack,
Bootsy Collins,
The Modern Lovers,
Susan Cadogan,
Janne Schatter,
Panda Bear,
the Association,
David McCallum,
DNA,
Angry Samoans,
Joensuu 1685,
Pagans,
Glenn Branca,
Ultravox,
Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones.
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.