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 Slovakia and from Accra.
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 1960 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Drive Like Jehu to the dance kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Erasure. All the underground hits.
All Country Joe & The Fish tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Roxette record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dave Clark Five record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rod Modell,
Qualms,
Newcleus,
Stockholm Monsters,
Das Ding,
Ludus,
Ultravox,
Deadbeat,
Jeff Lynne,
The Leaves,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Cybotron,
Au Pairs,
Scrapy,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Quadrant,
Soul Sonic Force,
the Human League,
Pantytec,
Yaz,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sun Ra,
Colin Newman,
Sixth Finger,
Gang Gang Dance,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Junior Murvin,
The United States of America,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Blues Magoos,
Bauhaus,
The Divine Comedy,
Japan,
Wire,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Grandmaster Flash,
Hardrive,
PIL,
Motorama,
Interpol,
The Last Poets,
Lakeside,
Scratch Acid,
Hoover,
Freddie Wadling,
Graham Central Station,
Skriet,
R.M.O.,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
JFA,
Amon Düül,
Groovy Waters,
Pere Ubu,
Brand Nubian,
OOIOO,
The Neon Judgement,
Black Bananas,
Aloha Tigers,
Swell Maps,
Absolute Body Control,
Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic.
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.