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 Mongolia and from Delhi.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Rotary Connection to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Sam Rivers. All the underground hits.
All A Certain Ratio 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 grime 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 an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Chris Corsano record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Desert Stars,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Zapp,
Roxy Music,
the Sonics,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Rod Modell,
The Sonics,
Brass Construction,
Derrick Morgan,
Robert Wyatt,
KRS-One,
ABBA,
The Monochrome Set,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Charles Mingus,
Reagan Youth,
The American Breed,
Intrusion,
Amon Düül,
The Dave Clark Five,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Sandy B,
Porter Ricks,
The Happenings,
Swans,
Royal Trux,
Minor Threat,
Godley & Creme,
Nils Olav,
Los Fastidios,
Bluetip,
Radio Birdman,
E-Dancer,
48th St. Collective,
Main Source,
Public Enemy,
AZ,
Groovy Waters,
Sister Nancy,
Warren Ellis,
John Holt,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Glambeats Corp.,
Graham Central Station,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Nirvana,
The Tremeloes,
Bill Near,
Scientists,
Max Romeo,
Joey Negro,
Mantronix,
Cheater Slicks,
Section 25,
The Grass Roots,
The Offenders,
Brothers Johnson,
Absolute Body Control,
Aural Exciters, Aural Exciters, Aural Exciters, Aural Exciters.
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.