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 Ecuador and from Manchester.
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 1963 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1975 at the first Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Joensuu 1685 to the disco kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Moby Grape. All the underground hits.
All Thee Headcoats tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Harpers Bizarre 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a John Coltrane record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Offenders,
The Five Americans,
Lightning Bolt,
The Angels of Light,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
DJ Style,
Amazonics,
The Cowsills,
Urselle,
Glambeats Corp.,
Ken Boothe,
Pylon,
Fugazi,
Crime,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Desert Stars,
The Happenings,
Mandrill,
Talk Talk,
Ponytail,
Thee Headcoats,
a-ha,
Cameo,
FM Einheit,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Hot Snakes,
Juan Atkins,
Hasil Adkins,
B.T. Express,
The Alarm Clocks,
Godley & Creme,
Donald Byrd,
Peter & Gordon,
Visage,
Bill Near,
The Gories,
Roy Ayers,
48th St. Collective,
Harmonia,
Television,
Soft Machine,
Au Pairs,
Soul II Soul,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Pantytec,
Franke,
Radio Birdman,
X-102,
Essential Logic,
Grey Daturas,
Skarface,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Archie Shepp,
Steve Hackett,
Harry Pussy,
Susan Cadogan,
Hoover,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Piero Umiliani,
Eric B and Rakim,
Simply Red,
Outsiders, Outsiders, Outsiders, Outsiders.
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.