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 Angola and from Madrid.
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 1964 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Arab on Radar to the dance 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 Gang Starr. All the underground hits.
All Harpers Bizarre tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Germs 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Slick Rick record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
the Human League,
Agitation Free,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
X-101,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The American Breed,
Crispian St. Peters,
These Immortal Souls,
Erasure,
Aloha Tigers,
The Fortunes,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Beau Brummels,
Pantytec,
The Misunderstood,
KRS-One,
Yusef Lateef,
Ohio Players,
The Blues Magoos,
Motorama,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
X-Ray Spex,
Pole,
Black Flag,
The Young Rascals,
Anthony Braxton,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Dave Clark Five,
Urselle,
Terry Callier,
The Smoke,
Morten Harket,
Severed Heads,
Monolake,
Y Pants,
Tears for Fears,
Nas,
Stetsasonic,
CMW,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Frankie Knuckles,
Marshall Jefferson,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Red Krayola,
Bronski Beat,
Don Cherry,
Fela Kuti,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Barbara Tucker,
Wolf Eyes,
Swans,
Con Funk Shun,
The Fire Engines,
The Human League,
Depeche Mode,
Eden Ahbez,
Eurythmics,
Lou Reed,
The Blackbyrds,
The Gladiators, The Gladiators, The Gladiators, The Gladiators.
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.