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 Czech Republic and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1968 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Marvin Gaye to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Manfred Mann's Earth Band. All the underground hits.
All Scion tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Roy Ayers Ubiquity record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 an arpeggiator and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soul II Soul record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Robert Wyatt,
Jandek,
The Gories,
The Fall,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Junior Murvin,
Skarface,
Heaven 17,
Pulsallama,
The Birthday Party,
Severed Heads,
David Axelrod,
Ludus,
Eden Ahbez,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Amon Düül,
Amon Düül II,
Bob Dylan,
The Durutti Column,
Joy Division,
Stereo Dub,
The Pop Group,
Spoonie Gee,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Morten Harket,
Jesper Dahlback,
Barbara Tucker,
The Standells,
Guru Guru,
The Happenings,
The Moody Blues,
Jerry's Kids,
R.M.O.,
Audionom,
Y Pants,
Grauzone,
The Motions,
the Fania All-Stars,
Mark Hollis,
Kurtis Blow,
Radio Birdman,
the Association,
The Last Poets,
KRS-One,
Das Ding,
Technova,
Man Parrish,
Fear,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
EPMD,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
A Certain Ratio,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Jeff Lynne,
Surgeon,
DNA,
Eve St. Jones,
E-Dancer,
Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown, Dennis Brown.
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.