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 Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Roger Hodgson to the crunk 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 The Dirtbombs. All the underground hits.
All Adolescents tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Reagan Youth record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jerry Gold Smith record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Mandrill,
Arcadia,
Archie Shepp,
KRS-One,
Schoolly D,
Zapp,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Lyres,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Essential Logic,
June of 44,
Peter and Kerry,
Throbbing Gristle,
Bush Tetras,
The Velvet Underground,
Tim Buckley,
Peter & Gordon,
The Mojo Men,
Eric Dolphy,
Mary Jane Girls,
Vainqueur,
Mad Mike,
Girls At Our Best!,
Sam Rivers,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Toasters,
Subhumans,
Aloha Tigers,
In Retrospect,
Joe Smooth,
Organ,
Gil Scott Heron,
Camberwell Now,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Kerrie Biddell,
Joy Division,
The Beau Brummels,
Porter Ricks,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Underground Resistance,
Matthew Bourne,
The Music Machine,
Kaleidoscope,
Can,
Audionom,
Jawbox,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Seeds,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Young Marble Giants,
Pussy Galore,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Arab on Radar,
The Raincoats,
Fugazi,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Searchers,
Marshall Jefferson,
MC5,
It's A Beautiful Day, It's A Beautiful Day, It's A Beautiful Day, It's A Beautiful Day.
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.