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 Benin and from Spokane.
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 1960 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the 808 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 The Slits to the rap 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 Jimmy McGriff. All the underground hits.
All The Flesh Eaters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Camberwell Now record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Curtis Mayfield record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bill Near,
Lou Reed,
Jeru the Damaja,
Zero Boys,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Slackers,
The Leaves,
Lakeside,
Patti Smith,
Ten City,
Radio Birdman,
Robert Hood,
Gerry Rafferty,
Dead Boys,
Kayak,
The Detroit Cobras,
Chris & Cosey,
Matthew Halsall,
Frankie Knuckles,
Television,
Black Flag,
Sugar Minott,
Davy DMX,
Colin Newman,
Faust,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Rod Modell,
Magma,
FM Einheit,
Little Man,
Ludus,
Scratch Acid,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Graham Central Station,
Fat Boys,
June Days,
Sun City Girls,
Stereo Dub,
Kevin Saunderson,
Rufus Thomas,
Dark Day,
Moby Grape,
Procol Harum,
The Standells,
Aloha Tigers,
Crime,
8 Eyed Spy,
Dorothy Ashby,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Blake Baxter,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
New Age Steppers,
Gastr Del Sol,
Fad Gadget,
Monks,
LL Cool J,
The Red Krayola,
Clear Light,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Litter,
Severed Heads,
These Immortal Souls,
Joyce Sims,
A Certain Ratio, A Certain Ratio, A Certain Ratio, A Certain Ratio.
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.