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 Zambia and from Beijing.
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 1966 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the guitar 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 Surgeon to the crunk 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 The Raincoats. All the underground hits.
All Agitation Free tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Art Ensemble Of Chicago 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Arab on Radar record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Susan Cadogan,
the Sonics,
The Five Americans,
Pantaleimon,
Joe Smooth,
The Electric Prunes,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Gabor Szabo,
Quadrant,
Negative Approach,
Brothers Johnson,
Black Bananas,
Dark Day,
The Smiths,
Technova,
Rotary Connection,
Girls At Our Best!,
Peter & Gordon,
Marvin Gaye,
The Divine Comedy,
Alton Ellis,
Accadde A,
Ronnie Foster,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Bobby Byrd,
Ash Ra Tempel,
World's Most,
OOIOO,
Marshall Jefferson,
The Fortunes,
Anakelly,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Surgeon,
Faraquet,
Bob Dylan,
James White and The Blacks,
Nirvana,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Slick Rick,
Mantronix,
Tears for Fears,
Sparks,
Zapp,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Cecil Taylor,
Public Image Ltd.,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Television Personalities,
Rod Modell,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Raincoats,
The American Breed,
the Swans,
Agent Orange,
Hoover,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Q65,
Barclay James Harvest,
Gong,
Minutemen,
Dorothy Ashby, Dorothy Ashby, Dorothy Ashby, Dorothy Ashby.
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.