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 Qatar and from Columbus.
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 1963 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 ABC to the funk 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 The Dead C. All the underground hits.
All Robert Wyatt tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Barrington Levy 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Manfred Mann's Earth Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ponytail,
Newcleus,
Anakelly,
the Association,
Half Japanese,
The New Christs,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Make Up,
Bizarre Inc.,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Detroit Cobras,
Jacob Miller,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Michelle Simonal,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Mummies,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Cheater Slicks,
Robert Hood,
the Bar-Kays,
Brass Construction,
Dark Day,
The Stooges,
Hoover,
Quando Quango,
Crispian St. Peters,
Yaz,
Flamin' Groovies,
Rotary Connection,
In Retrospect,
Livin' Joy,
Fatback Band,
Ohio Players,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Shuggie Otis,
The Last Poets,
Traffic Nightmare,
Buzzcocks,
Eli Mardock,
Scratch Acid,
Nirvana,
The Index,
Pole,
The Five Americans,
OOIOO,
Khruangbin,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Gil Scott Heron,
Roger Hodgson,
One Last Wish,
Todd Terry,
Ten City,
Tears for Fears,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Techniques,
the Normal,
Minny Pops,
Joe Smooth,
Stereo Dub,
Minnie Riperton,
Pantytec, Pantytec, Pantytec, Pantytec.
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.