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 Dominican Republic and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
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 Tropical Tobacco to the punk 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 Young Marble Giants. All the underground hits.
All Lucky Dragons tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Brass Construction record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Royal Trux record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Deakin,
Roxette,
Black Flag,
Wire,
Motorama,
Bronski Beat,
Lower 48,
DJ Sneak,
kango's stein massive,
The Index,
Bluetip,
Amazonics,
Robert Wyatt,
Moss Icon,
Circle Jerks,
Monolake,
Sparks,
Minutemen,
Parry Music,
A Flock of Seagulls,
the Human League,
Fear,
Accadde A,
Barry Ungar,
T. Rex,
The Kinks,
Infiniti,
Charles Mingus,
Crime,
Morten Harket,
World's Most,
Amon Düül,
Lalann,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Hot Snakes,
Urselle,
The Cure,
The Flesh Eaters,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
EPMD,
The Offenders,
Goldenarms,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Dead Boys,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Public Image Ltd.,
Toni Rubio,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Associates,
Joe Finger,
The Divine Comedy,
Scratch Acid,
The Cowsills,
Rod Modell,
Frankie Knuckles,
Curtis Mayfield,
Gang of Four,
Mad Mike,
James White and The Blacks,
David Axelrod,
Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp, Archie Shepp.
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.