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 Kenya and from Mumbai.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 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 Andrew Hill to the rock kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Dennis Brown. All the underground hits.
All Patti Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Swell Maps record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 an oboe and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sly & The Family Stone record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Lou Reed,
Dead Boys,
Minny Pops,
Bluetip,
Supertramp,
Visage,
The Blackbyrds,
Byron Stingily,
X-102,
Soft Machine,
the Slits,
Marvin Gaye,
Kerrie Biddell,
Joyce Sims,
Hardrive,
Black Moon,
James White and The Blacks,
John Cale,
Avey Tare,
Jerry's Kids,
The Skatalites,
Joy Division,
Lyres,
Piero Umiliani,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Alarm Clocks,
Jeff Lynne,
Rotary Connection,
Franke,
Josef K,
Faust,
Aural Exciters,
Grey Daturas,
Dual Sessions,
Cheater Slicks,
Frankie Knuckles,
F. McDonald,
Charles Mingus,
Altered Images,
Boogie Down Productions,
Fat Boys,
JFA,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Spandau Ballet,
The Names,
Sandy B,
The Happenings,
Jawbox,
Livin' Joy,
Aaron Thompson,
Agent Orange,
Soft Cell,
Metal Thangz,
David McCallum,
Skriet,
Suburban Knight,
Lakeside,
Soul II Soul,
Maurizio,
Glenn Branca,
Accadde A, Accadde A, Accadde A, Accadde A.
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.