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 Albania and from Manila.
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 1969 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 OOIOO to the rap 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 X-102. All the underground hits.
All Severed Heads tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Angry Samoans record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Josef K record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Robert Wyatt,
Eurythmics,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Nas,
Letta Mbulu,
Sixth Finger,
The Cowsills,
The Saints,
Black Flag,
The Searchers,
Country Joe & The Fish,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Sound Behaviour,
Drive Like Jehu,
Lalann,
Aaron Thompson,
Davy DMX,
Gichy Dan,
Minutemen,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Ossler,
Lindisfarne,
Severed Heads,
Big Daddy Kane,
Rotary Connection,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Stooges,
Accadde A,
Inner City,
Metal Thangz,
Suburban Knight,
Pet Shop Boys,
E-Dancer,
Fugazi,
Jeff Mills,
Donald Byrd,
Quantec,
Young Marble Giants,
Sandy B,
Howard Jones,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Peter & Gordon,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Curtis Mayfield,
Girls At Our Best!,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Toasters,
Newcleus,
Isaac Hayes,
Swans,
The Monochrome Set,
The Raincoats,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Pharoah Sanders,
Soft Machine,
Slave,
Boz Scaggs,
Lyres,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Throbbing Gristle,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Gil Scott Heron, Gil Scott Heron, Gil Scott Heron, Gil Scott Heron.
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.