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 Eritrea and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Colin Newman to the jazz 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 The Raincoats. All the underground hits.
All Donny Hathaway tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Interpol record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gian Franco Pienzio record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Real Kids,
Ten City,
Quadrant,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Piero Umiliani,
Steve Hackett,
Leonard Cohen,
Parry Music,
The Standells,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Doobie Brothers,
Public Image Ltd.,
Soft Machine,
Prince Buster,
The Slits,
Au Pairs,
Q and Not U,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The Associates,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Television Personalities,
Fela Kuti,
Donny Hathaway,
Cluster,
Mark Hollis,
Suicide,
Arthur Verocai,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Henry Cow,
Dennis Brown,
Eden Ahbez,
Nico,
Lightning Bolt,
Rapeman,
Flamin' Groovies,
Quando Quango,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Andrew Hill,
Underground Resistance,
Make Up,
The Neon Judgement,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Cal Tjader,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Modern Lovers,
Minutemen,
Morten Harket,
Pantytec,
the Germs,
Kerri Chandler,
X-101,
The Motions,
Boredoms,
Khruangbin,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Busters,
Television,
The Sonics,
Swans, Swans, Swans, Swans.
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.