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 Latvia and from Johannesburg.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Manchester.
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 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 Robert Palmer 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 Funky Four + One to the rock kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Hardrive. All the underground hits.
All Subhumans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Simply Red record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a CMW record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Make Up,
Skarface,
JFA,
Reagan Youth,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Peter & Gordon,
Lungfish,
The Misunderstood,
David Axelrod,
Urselle,
Funkadelic,
Iggy Pop,
Angry Samoans,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Mad Mike,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Circle Jerks,
Chrome,
Masters at Work,
The Sound,
Hot Snakes,
Gregory Isaacs,
Whodini,
One Last Wish,
Avey Tare,
Lower 48,
Technova,
Jeff Mills,
Max Romeo,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Howard Jones,
Rapeman,
Arab on Radar,
Average White Band,
Youth Brigade,
Visage,
The Raincoats,
Rakim,
These Immortal Souls,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Interpol,
Rosa Yemen,
The Monks,
X-102,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Deakin,
the Sonics,
Ultimate Spinach,
Fad Gadget,
Tears for Fears,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Alphaville,
Ultravox,
Goldenarms,
In Retrospect,
Cheater Slicks,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Gerry Rafferty,
Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton.
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.