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 Papua New Guinea and from Sao Paulo.
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 1962 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Lucky Dragons to the dance kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Sound Behaviour. All the underground hits.
All Eddi Front tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brand Nubian record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Au Pairs,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Juan Atkins,
Pantytec,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Soul Sonic Force,
FM Einheit,
These Immortal Souls,
The Martian,
Patti Smith,
Fluxion,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Guru Guru,
Index,
Lalann,
Reuben Wilson,
Procol Harum,
Smog,
The Fall,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Sonics,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Magma,
Ice-T,
Grey Daturas,
The Blackbyrds,
The Cramps,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Young Rascals,
Alphaville,
Blossom Toes,
Schoolly D,
Sister Nancy,
New Order,
The Gladiators,
Man Eating Sloth,
Roy Ayers,
The Dave Clark Five,
Drive Like Jehu,
Rapeman,
DJ Sneak,
X-101,
Japan,
Soul II Soul,
The Smoke,
Cymande,
The Raincoats,
The Toasters,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Cecil Taylor,
Lakeside,
Section 25,
Donald Byrd,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Kerrie Biddell,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Roxette,
Bootsy Collins,
Brothers Johnson,
Idris Muhammad, Idris Muhammad, Idris Muhammad, Idris Muhammad.
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.