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 Zimbabwe and from Paris.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1962 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the oboe 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 It's A Beautiful Day to the techno 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 Warren Ellis. All the underground hits.
All Art Ensemble Of Chicago tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Beau Brummels record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 synthesizer and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mars record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Juan Atkins,
Sonic Youth,
Faraquet,
Duran Duran,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Ituana,
Television Personalities,
Wasted Youth,
Kool Moe Dee,
Mark Hollis,
In Retrospect,
The Real Kids,
John Holt,
Tommy Roe,
Cybotron,
Ossler,
the Slits,
Barbara Tucker,
Wally Richardson,
Tropical Tobacco,
Peter & Gordon,
Vainqueur,
Prince Buster,
Skarface,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Beau Brummels,
Pole,
Eric Dolphy,
June of 44,
Gichy Dan,
The Young Rascals,
The Dave Clark Five,
Sam Rivers,
Eli Mardock,
DJ Sneak,
Hashim,
Sun City Girls,
Harpers Bizarre,
Hardrive,
Grauzone,
Yusef Lateef,
New Age Steppers,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Malaria!,
the Swans,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Interpol,
Mo-Dettes,
Terry Callier,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Donald Byrd,
Newcleus,
Basic Channel,
Audionom,
Roy Ayers,
Marshall Jefferson,
Brand Nubian,
Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth, Reagan Youth.
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.