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 Kiribati and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 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 Easy Going to the funk 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 Black Flag. All the underground hits.
All Groovy Waters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Quadrant record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 chamberlin and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Janne Schatter record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Wake,
Bobby Byrd,
Stereo Dub,
Amazonics,
Theoretical Girls,
Bronski Beat,
Pagans,
Qualms,
Outsiders,
Nick Fraelich,
Aloha Tigers,
Ituana,
Goldenarms,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Motions,
Terry Callier,
Lucky Dragons,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Vogues,
Yellowson,
The United States of America,
Camouflage,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Aswad,
Deakin,
The Litter,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Fall,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Cowsills,
Animal Collective,
The Standells,
Arab on Radar,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Seeds,
Nils Olav,
Max Romeo,
LL Cool J,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Agitation Free,
Minny Pops,
Barry Ungar,
Faraquet,
Eric B and Rakim,
Con Funk Shun,
Minor Threat,
The Fire Engines,
Crispy Ambulance,
Soul Sonic Force,
Gong,
Mission of Burma,
Peter and Kerry,
Boz Scaggs,
The Names,
Curtis Mayfield,
Hasil Adkins,
Dorothy Ashby,
John Coltrane,
Basic Channel, Basic Channel, Basic Channel, Basic Channel.
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.