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 Saudi Arabia and from Houston.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Das Ding to the funk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Traffic Nightmare. All the underground hits.
All Outsiders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Cecil Taylor record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Duran Duran record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Albert Ayler,
Cymande,
Crash Course in Science,
Tres Demented,
Average White Band,
Nirvana,
U.S. Maple,
R.M.O.,
Arcadia,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Lungfish,
Minutemen,
The Leaves,
The Durutti Column,
Con Funk Shun,
Grandmaster Flash,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Grass Roots,
The Searchers,
Terrestrial Tones,
Boz Scaggs,
Zero Boys,
Hashim,
Brothers Johnson,
Model 500,
Whodini,
Bootsy Collins,
Niagra,
Grauzone,
Babytalk,
June of 44,
Jerry's Kids,
Sixth Finger,
Fluxion,
Davy DMX,
Public Enemy,
Youth Brigade,
The Angels of Light,
The Gladiators,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Barbara Tucker,
Jeff Lynne,
The Evens,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Mark Hollis,
Qualms,
Derrick May,
The Litter,
Drive Like Jehu,
Pussy Galore,
Pierre Henry,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Gichy Dan,
Motorama,
Das Ding,
Glenn Branca,
Unrelated Segments,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Frankie Knuckles,
John Foxx,
Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke.
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.