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 Azerbaijan and from Spokane.
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 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the oboe 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 Youth Brigade to the grime 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 Mary Jane Girls. All the underground hits.
All X-Ray Spex tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bootsy Collins record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 an arpeggiator and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Thee Headcoats record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Delon & Dalcan,
Josef K,
Tears for Fears,
Wolf Eyes,
The Alarm Clocks,
kango's stein massive,
Bobby Womack,
Nik Kershaw,
JFA,
The Seeds,
Theoretical Girls,
Robert Görl,
Qualms,
Rekid,
Camberwell Now,
James White and The Blacks,
Rufus Thomas,
Masters at Work,
Wally Richardson,
Rakim,
Gabor Szabo,
Leonard Cohen,
Scion,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Urselle,
the Bar-Kays,
Scan 7,
Visage,
Kayak,
The Gun Club,
Motorama,
Joyce Sims,
Junior Murvin,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Youth Brigade,
FM Einheit,
The Birthday Party,
Brothers Johnson,
John Cale,
Faust,
Subhumans,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
John Holt,
Brand Nubian,
The Fall,
Erykah Badu,
Guru Guru,
Nick Fraelich,
Warsaw,
Avey Tare,
Man Eating Sloth,
Pere Ubu,
Reagan Youth,
The Raincoats,
Eurythmics,
Bang On A Can, Bang On A Can, Bang On A Can, Bang On A Can.
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.