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 Swaziland and from Lyon.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 Lou Reed & John Cale to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Misunderstood. All the underground hits.
All Eddi Front tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ten City 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 sitar and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nirvana,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Sound Behaviour,
The Invisible,
Ponytail,
Absolute Body Control,
Boz Scaggs,
Crash Course in Science,
Minutemen,
Soft Cell,
The Golliwogs,
The Monks,
the Human League,
H. Thieme,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Severed Heads,
Main Source,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Lightning Bolt,
T. Rex,
48th St. Collective,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Cowsills,
Public Enemy,
Au Pairs,
Depeche Mode,
The Monochrome Set,
Godley & Creme,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Moby Grape,
8 Eyed Spy,
Reuben Wilson,
Sandy B,
Kenny Larkin,
The Zeros,
Laurel Aitken,
Panda Bear,
the Slits,
Mark Hollis,
Lalo Schifrin,
Ossler,
Barry Ungar,
Arthur Verocai,
Television Personalities,
Eli Mardock,
U.S. Maple,
Deepchord,
Sparks,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Drexciya,
Mr. Review,
Whodini,
Fifty Foot Hose,
One Last Wish,
Aswad,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Move,
Matthew Bourne,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Wire,
Hashim,
Groovy Waters,
Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars.
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.