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 Barbados 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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 harpsichord 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 Michelle Simonal to the electroclash 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 Strawberry Alarm Clock. All the underground hits.
All Rod Modell tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott Heron record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a X-Ray Spex record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
David Axelrod,
Graham Central Station,
The Fire Engines,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Pharoah Sanders,
Steve Hackett,
This Heat,
Drexciya,
Lower 48,
The Techniques,
The Moody Blues,
D'Angelo,
Kerri Chandler,
Soul Sonic Force,
DNA,
AZ,
Model 500,
MC5,
Inner City,
Electric Prunes,
B.T. Express,
The Move,
Wings,
The Shadows of Knight,
Terrestrial Tones,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Detroit Cobras,
DJ Style,
F. McDonald,
Warsaw,
The Offenders,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Scan 7,
Tubeway Army,
Flamin' Groovies,
Kool Moe Dee,
Davy DMX,
Ultravox,
Tears for Fears,
Robert Hood,
Darondo,
R.M.O.,
Visage,
Television,
Black Moon,
The New Christs,
The Martian,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Juan Atkins,
The Divine Comedy,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Blossom Toes,
Theoretical Girls,
Judy Mowatt,
Gastr Del Sol,
Eric Dolphy,
Babytalk,
Eddi Front,
Adolescents,
Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp.
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.