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 Azerbaijan and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1960 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 marimba 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 OOIOO to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Visage. All the underground hits.
All Bang on a Can All-Stars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every New York Dolls record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ajijia Myrayebe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Stooges,
Wings,
The Pretty Things,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Big Daddy Kane,
Jeff Mills,
Suburban Knight,
Au Pairs,
Visage,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Heaven 17,
The New Christs,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Section 25,
Camouflage,
Q and Not U,
Mary Jane Girls,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Blues Magoos,
The Gun Club,
Moebius,
Silicon Teens,
Ultravox,
Can,
D'Angelo,
John Lydon,
Hasil Adkins,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Aloha Tigers,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
the Sonics,
Brass Construction,
Nils Olav,
Ossler,
The Black Dice,
kango's stein massive,
Ornette Coleman,
Graham Central Station,
Bill Wells,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Wake,
Eli Mardock,
Mandrill,
Fat Boys,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Das Ding,
Fear,
Todd Terry,
Rosa Yemen,
Henry Cow,
48th St. Collective,
the Germs,
Tim Buckley,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Traffic Nightmare,
Sex Pistols,
The Neon Judgement,
Mars,
Hoover,
Babytalk,
Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones.
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.