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 Bangladesh and from Manila.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Bremen.
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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Oblivians to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Blancmange. All the underground hits.
All Piero Umiliani tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Happenings record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 snare and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a David Bowie record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fad Gadget,
Prince Buster,
Lyres,
Unwound,
the Association,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Charles Mingus,
The Standells,
48th St. Collective,
Moss Icon,
Lalann,
David Bowie,
Isaac Hayes,
New Age Steppers,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Black Sheep,
Fat Boys,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Velvet Underground,
Unrelated Segments,
Andrew Hill,
Monolake,
The Mummies,
Urselle,
Amazonics,
Scientists,
Outsiders,
Deadbeat,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Drexciya,
Pierre Henry,
Anthony Braxton,
Icehouse,
Radio Birdman,
Gichy Dan,
Kerri Chandler,
Cybotron,
The Martian,
Suicide,
Sällskapet,
DJ Style,
Albert Ayler,
Fatback Band,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Minnie Riperton,
Faust,
In Retrospect,
Procol Harum,
H. Thieme,
Negative Approach,
Man Eating Sloth,
Althea and Donna,
Magma,
Dark Day,
Matthew Bourne,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Bobby Hutcherson,
John Foxx,
Joy Division,
Shoche,
David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod.
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.