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 Poland and from Tokyo.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and New York.
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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Smog to the rap 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 Main Source. All the underground hits.
All Rotary Connection tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Detroit Cobras record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 guitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeff Lynne record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Talk Talk,
Leonard Cohen,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The Vogues,
The Wake,
Matthew Bourne,
Tommy Roe,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Delon & Dalcan,
Gastr Del Sol,
Easy Going,
Radiohead,
Rekid,
MDC,
Yaz,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Sonics,
Skarface,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
OOIOO,
The Dirtbombs,
Joy Division,
Joe Smooth,
Gerry Rafferty,
Desert Stars,
Terrestrial Tones,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Amon Düül II,
Masters at Work,
Lower 48,
Glenn Branca,
Tropical Tobacco,
Godley & Creme,
Quando Quango,
Clear Light,
Bluetip,
The J.B.'s,
The Litter,
Brothers Johnson,
The Raincoats,
Visage,
David Bowie,
Pierre Henry,
Johnny Clarke,
Gichy Dan,
The Doors,
Minor Threat,
Pet Shop Boys,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Misunderstood,
Public Image Ltd.,
Popol Vuh,
Television,
Arab on Radar,
Althea and Donna,
Chrome,
The Pop Group,
Fear,
Sarah Menescal,
Mr. Review,
Motorama,
Ronan,
Pulsallama,
The Invisible, The Invisible, The Invisible, The Invisible.
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.