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 Liberia and from Paris.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Soul II Soul to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Barrington Levy. All the underground hits.
All Jeru the Damaja tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every DeepChord presents Echospace 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jerry's Kids record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Marcia Griffiths,
Monks,
Eurythmics,
Swans,
Slave,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
8 Eyed Spy,
Lucky Dragons,
Technova,
Lalann,
The Residents,
The Saints,
Funkadelic,
Gang Green,
Archie Shepp,
The Birthday Party,
L. Decosne,
Black Pus,
Cecil Taylor,
Andrew Hill,
Metal Thangz,
Pylon,
Animal Collective,
China Crisis,
Ohio Players,
Bad Manners,
Malaria!,
Blossom Toes,
Junior Murvin,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Jeff Lynne,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Ludus,
Swell Maps,
New York Dolls,
Drexciya,
Little Man,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Misunderstood,
Yusef Lateef,
The Smiths,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
the Soft Cell,
The Monochrome Set,
The Moleskins,
Soul II Soul,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Janne Schatter,
The Human League,
Joe Smooth,
Barbara Tucker,
Eddi Front,
Arthur Verocai,
The Busters,
Fela Kuti,
Quantec,
Sun City Girls,
Bronski Beat,
The Moody Blues,
Camberwell Now,
Trumans Water,
The Selecter, The Selecter, The Selecter, The Selecter.
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.