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 Macedonia and from Woodstock.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 One Last Wish to the grime 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 The Beau Brummels. All the underground hits.
All Cal Tjader tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Fugs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Vogues,
New Age Steppers,
Kas Product,
AZ,
The Doors,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Barbara Tucker,
Al Stewart,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Beau Brummels,
Traffic Nightmare,
Procol Harum,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Carl Craig,
La Düsseldorf,
John Holt,
Nik Kershaw,
A Certain Ratio,
Animal Collective,
Mandrill,
UT,
Sällskapet,
Lucky Dragons,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Dead Boys,
The Birthday Party,
Sam Rivers,
Bad Manners,
Gang Gang Dance,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Organ,
Grauzone,
Rakim,
Crispy Ambulance,
The Index,
Nick Fraelich,
Hasil Adkins,
Lungfish,
Prince Buster,
Toni Rubio,
The Techniques,
Yusef Lateef,
X-101,
Slick Rick,
Half Japanese,
DJ Sneak,
Rhythm & Sound,
Pantaleimon,
Lee Hazlewood,
Judy Mowatt,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Thee Headcoats,
Kayak,
Deakin,
Bill Near,
Iggy Pop,
Scrapy,
Thompson Twins,
One Last Wish,
Lebanon Hanover,
Harpers Bizarre,
the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics.
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.