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 Afghanistan and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1966 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the marimba 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 Art Ensemble Of Chicago to the grime 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 The Smoke. All the underground hits.
All Patti Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lakeside record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Derrick Morgan record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Zero Boys,
Pere Ubu,
Shuggie Otis,
Robert Wyatt,
Jandek,
The Slits,
Thee Headcoats,
Parry Music,
The Modern Lovers,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Lou Reed,
Stereo Dub,
Q and Not U,
Mary Jane Girls,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Pop Group,
Brothers Johnson,
Visage,
CMW,
Kool Moe Dee,
Bronski Beat,
the Germs,
Lyres,
Sam Rivers,
Accadde A,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Saccharine Trust,
Rites of Spring,
Brass Construction,
Marshall Jefferson,
Dave Gahan,
Man Eating Sloth,
Anakelly,
The Birthday Party,
Adolescents,
Be Bop Deluxe,
MC5,
Lalo Schifrin,
Sun Ra,
Scratch Acid,
Traffic Nightmare,
Curtis Mayfield,
Panda Bear,
Depeche Mode,
Crispian St. Peters,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Marc Almond,
The Vogues,
The Busters,
Nico,
Khruangbin,
Albert Ayler,
Gastr Del Sol,
Pylon,
EPMD,
Throbbing Gristle,
T. Rex,
Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies.
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.