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 Antigua 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 1968 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the 808 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 Electric Light Orchestra to the rap kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Patti Smith. All the underground hits.
All Crispian St. Peters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultimate Spinach record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Severed Heads record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Yaz,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Gun Club,
Ituana,
Aswad,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Monks,
Toni Rubio,
Peter & Gordon,
Wings,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Doors,
The Barracudas,
Black Bananas,
Livin' Joy,
Soft Cell,
Tropical Tobacco,
Bauhaus,
Juan Atkins,
The Vogues,
The Birthday Party,
Infiniti,
Marcia Griffiths,
Moss Icon,
Echospace,
Lindisfarne,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Gerry Rafferty,
Pole,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Joensuu 1685,
Arcadia,
Pantaleimon,
EPMD,
The Pop Group,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Skarface,
Spandau Ballet,
Siglo XX,
Saccharine Trust,
Rekid,
The Leaves,
Mantronix,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
UT,
Shoche,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Popol Vuh,
The Slits,
The Five Americans,
The Smiths,
Scratch Acid,
Bizarre Inc.,
Vladislav Delay,
The Buckinghams,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Mummies,
Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes.
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.