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 Israel and from Taipei.
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 1967 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Lizzy Mercier Descloux to the rap 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 Section 25. All the underground hits.
All Gian Franco Pienzio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Richard Hell and the Voidoids record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 a snare and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dead C record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lindisfarne,
The Zeros,
The Moody Blues,
Flamin' Groovies,
Nik Kershaw,
Peter & Gordon,
Basic Channel,
Royal Trux,
The Neon Judgement,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Morten Harket,
Ultimate Spinach,
Eve St. Jones,
Leonard Cohen,
The Fortunes,
Dennis Brown,
Camouflage,
ABC,
the Fania All-Stars,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Dark Day,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Mad Mike,
Con Funk Shun,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Erykah Badu,
Q and Not U,
Amazonics,
Carl Craig,
Stereo Dub,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Ossler,
Alphaville,
Nick Fraelich,
The Beau Brummels,
Pussy Galore,
Blossom Toes,
Hashim,
Wings,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Ralphi Rosario,
Crispy Ambulance,
Aloha Tigers,
Talk Talk,
Graham Central Station,
Jerry's Kids,
The Doobie Brothers,
David Bowie,
Brand Nubian,
Tim Buckley,
Chris Corsano,
Make Up,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Stooges,
Icehouse,
Yellowson,
The Barracudas,
the Bar-Kays,
Fela Kuti,
Prince Buster,
U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple.
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.