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 Bahrain and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 theremin 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 Mars to the punk 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 Scientists. All the underground hits.
All The Smiths tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Hasil Adkins 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Moby Grape record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sun City Girls,
Mars,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Echospace,
Ten City,
The Cure,
Gong,
Television,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Juan Atkins,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
DJ Style,
Barrington Levy,
Sarah Menescal,
The Techniques,
Dawn Penn,
Theoretical Girls,
Mission of Burma,
L. Decosne,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Warren Ellis,
Roy Ayers,
The Golliwogs,
Lucky Dragons,
Black Moon,
Rosa Yemen,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Cowsills,
Alton Ellis,
The Grass Roots,
Skarface,
A Certain Ratio,
The Walker Brothers,
Soul Sonic Force,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Von Mondo,
Mad Mike,
Barbara Tucker,
The Slackers,
the Normal,
Jacob Miller,
Urselle,
Babytalk,
The Beau Brummels,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Howard Jones,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Animal Collective,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Tres Demented,
Suicide,
Youth Brigade,
In Retrospect,
Joy Division,
Skriet,
Laurel Aitken,
Johnny Clarke,
Niagra,
Robert Wyatt,
Graham Central Station, Graham Central Station, Graham Central Station, Graham Central Station.
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.