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 Peru and from Lagos.
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 1962 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Edmonton and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Skatalites to the disco 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 Drive Like Jehu. All the underground hits.
All Minor Threat tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Stockholm Monsters record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a One Last Wish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Chris & Cosey,
Eric Copeland,
The Leaves,
MC5,
Al Stewart,
Anakelly,
The Human League,
Byron Stingily,
Glambeats Corp.,
Ronan,
Ituana,
This Heat,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Jeff Lynne,
Peter & Gordon,
David Bowie,
Sun Ra,
The Smiths,
Boz Scaggs,
Jawbox,
Little Man,
Minutemen,
The Fortunes,
CMW,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
the Sonics,
Audionom,
Skriet,
The Birthday Party,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Susan Cadogan,
Qualms,
Wings,
Terrestrial Tones,
Absolute Body Control,
The Martian,
Gastr Del Sol,
Gabor Szabo,
Matthew Halsall,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
D'Angelo,
the Germs,
Crooked Eye,
Man Parrish,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Nas,
Scrapy,
Liliput,
Von Mondo,
Trumans Water,
The Durutti Column,
Mantronix,
Newcleus,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Slackers,
Tropical Tobacco,
Mr. Review,
Robert Wyatt,
Tom Boy, Tom Boy, Tom Boy, Tom Boy.
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.