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 Delhi.
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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 guitar 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 Doobie Brothers to the punk 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 Rufus Thomas. All the underground hits.
All Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Busters record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 theremin and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radio Birdman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Shuggie Otis,
Swans,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Techniques,
Grey Daturas,
Can,
Soulsonic Force,
Sex Pistols,
Whodini,
One Last Wish,
Tres Demented,
Colin Newman,
Pere Ubu,
Gang Starr,
Johnny Clarke,
Erykah Badu,
Black Sheep,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Warren Ellis,
Fela Kuti,
The Slackers,
The Cure,
Radiohead,
MDC,
Intrusion,
the Normal,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Mark Hollis,
Girls At Our Best!,
Gang of Four,
Lebanon Hanover,
Main Source,
Frankie Knuckles,
Sarah Menescal,
EPMD,
Tom Boy,
The Star Department,
The Grass Roots,
Bill Wells,
The Gladiators,
PIL,
The Skatalites,
Lucky Dragons,
T. Rex,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Shoche,
Scratch Acid,
Godley & Creme,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Aswad,
Schoolly D,
Visage,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Audionom,
Kaleidoscope,
Ludus,
T.S.O.L.,
Ituana,
The Buckinghams,
Jawbox,
Banda Bassotti, Banda Bassotti, Banda Bassotti, Banda Bassotti.
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.