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 Croatia 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 1963 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Accra.
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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the snare 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 ABBA to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Notorious Big And Bone Thugs. All the underground hits.
All Spoonie Gee tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Metal Thangz record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a the Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Matthew Halsall,
T.S.O.L.,
Fatback Band,
Flash Fearless,
Nils Olav,
Michelle Simonal,
Drexciya,
Peter and Kerry,
Ice-T,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Icehouse,
Rotary Connection,
Lalo Schifrin,
UT,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Parry Music,
the Sonics,
Flipper,
Pole,
Suicide,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Pop Group,
Warsaw,
Thompson Twins,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Fluxion,
The Seeds,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lyres,
Blancmange,
Sällskapet,
The Gun Club,
The Velvet Underground,
The Sound,
the Normal,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Graham Central Station,
Dark Day,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
JFA,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Niagra,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Slackers,
X-102,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Blossom Toes,
Grauzone,
The Neon Judgement,
Ultravox,
The Red Krayola,
Flamin' Groovies,
David Axelrod,
Gregory Isaacs,
cv313,
Harmonia,
Slick Rick,
Eden Ahbez,
Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu.
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.