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 Lesotho and from Mexico City.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Todd Rundgren to the punk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Groovy Waters. All the underground hits.
All Camouflage tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jacob Miller record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dave Clark Five record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Joe Finger,
Andrew Hill,
The Knickerbockers,
Lou Reed,
Mandrill,
Pylon,
The Durutti Column,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Gil Scott Heron,
Malaria!,
Tomorrow,
Dave Gahan,
Blossom Toes,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Raincoats,
Infiniti,
The Remains,
Bush Tetras,
Peter and Kerry,
Flipper,
Marcia Griffiths,
Donald Byrd,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Blackbyrds,
Grauzone,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Joey Negro,
MC5,
Lou Christie,
L. Decosne,
Lee Hazlewood,
Alton Ellis,
the Slits,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Tommy Roe,
LL Cool J,
The Star Department,
Television Personalities,
Anthony Braxton,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Jandek,
Alphaville,
Soulsonic Force,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Youth Brigade,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Simply Red,
The Mummies,
Little Man,
The Angels of Light,
Gabor Szabo,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Mars,
Visage,
8 Eyed Spy,
The Doors,
Kerrie Biddell,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Talk Talk,
Crispy Ambulance,
Sarah Menescal,
Goldenarms,
Groovy Waters, Groovy Waters, Groovy Waters, Groovy Waters.
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.