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 Slovakia and from Madrid.
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 1969 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the sitar 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 JFA to the punk 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 Absolute Body Control. All the underground hits.
All Strawberry Alarm Clock tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mars record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Electric Light Orchestra,
Warren Ellis,
Matthew Halsall,
Henry Cow,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Neu!,
Drive Like Jehu,
Josef K,
Marine Girls,
The Gun Club,
Monolake,
The Star Department,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Sun Ra,
Flipper,
MC5,
Fad Gadget,
Nirvana,
Nick Fraelich,
X-101,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Beau Brummels,
Thee Headcoats,
Theoretical Girls,
Fat Boys,
Laurel Aitken,
John Coltrane,
Franke,
Stetsasonic,
Lee Hazlewood,
Prince Buster,
The Birthday Party,
The Standells,
Yusef Lateef,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Minor Threat,
Liliput,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Das Ding,
Fela Kuti,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Technova,
Black Bananas,
Vainqueur,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Soft Cell,
James White and The Blacks,
LL Cool J,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Malaria!,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Golliwogs,
Rhythm & Sound,
Panda Bear,
Rod Modell,
Marc Almond,
David Axelrod,
The Fortunes,
Jawbox,
Mandrill,
The Selecter,
Lyres, Lyres, Lyres, Lyres.
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.