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 Philippines and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the theremin 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 Idris Muhammad 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 Harmonia. All the underground hits.
All Mr. Review tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultimate Spinach 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sugar Minott record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Offenders,
Cecil Taylor,
Arab on Radar,
Neu!,
The Evens,
David Bowie,
The Toasters,
The Buckinghams,
Andrew Hill,
The United States of America,
China Crisis,
Public Enemy,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Barry Ungar,
Essential Logic,
Second Layer,
Lebanon Hanover,
the Association,
Unwound,
Rufus Thomas,
Supertramp,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Procol Harum,
Popol Vuh,
Pharoah Sanders,
Patti Smith,
Mr. Review,
New Order,
Bush Tetras,
The Pop Group,
Frankie Knuckles,
Minor Threat,
Donny Hathaway,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Red Krayola,
Depeche Mode,
a-ha,
Mantronix,
Zero Boys,
Hot Snakes,
John Holt,
Barbara Tucker,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Scientists,
Ken Boothe,
Outsiders,
Tom Boy,
Anakelly,
Monks,
FM Einheit,
Siglo XX,
Circle Jerks,
Marshall Jefferson,
Marmalade,
The Beau Brummels,
Severed Heads,
Gil Scott Heron,
Flash Fearless,
Boredoms,
Delta 5, Delta 5, Delta 5, Delta 5.
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.