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 Bosnia Herzegovina and from Edmonton.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 The Saints to the rap kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Swans. All the underground hits.
All Skaos tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nico record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 chamberlin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nico,
Quadrant,
Alice Coltrane,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The New Christs,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
A Certain Ratio,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Toasters,
The Slackers,
Agent Orange,
Panda Bear,
Kerrie Biddell,
Tears for Fears,
Oneida,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Real Kids,
Gil Scott Heron,
Average White Band,
New Age Steppers,
The Zeros,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Thompson Twins,
Dennis Brown,
Gang Gang Dance,
Barclay James Harvest,
Michelle Simonal,
Lucky Dragons,
the Germs,
Curtis Mayfield,
Dual Sessions,
Ultimate Spinach,
PIL,
Lower 48,
Donny Hathaway,
Byron Stingily,
Essential Logic,
Johnny Osbourne,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Young Rascals,
The Happenings,
David McCallum,
Roxy Music,
Lakeside,
Fluxion,
The American Breed,
Kayak,
Absolute Body Control,
Scan 7,
Echospace,
the Swans,
Morten Harket,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Moody Blues,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Barbara Tucker,
Electric Prunes,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Erykah Badu,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Rekid,
Q and Not U, Q and Not U, Q and Not U, Q and Not U.
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.