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 Ukraine and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 guitar 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 Wally Richardson to the jazz 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 Iggy Pop. All the underground hits.
All Bang on a Can All-Stars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Skatalites record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Modern Lovers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Neil Young,
kango's stein massive,
L. Decosne,
The Victims,
Tropical Tobacco,
New Age Steppers,
DJ Sneak,
Hashim,
Magazine,
Arcadia,
Kerri Chandler,
R.M.O.,
the Germs,
the Fania All-Stars,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
The Moody Blues,
Alton Ellis,
Chris & Cosey,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Dorothy Ashby,
Bang On A Can,
Man Parrish,
The Angels of Light,
LL Cool J,
Ponytail,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Blues Magoos,
The Walker Brothers,
Black Sheep,
Funkadelic,
The Searchers,
The Dirtbombs,
Joe Smooth,
Scrapy,
Bronski Beat,
Metal Thangz,
John Coltrane,
Slave,
A Certain Ratio,
The Slackers,
Terry Callier,
Sonic Youth,
Goldenarms,
Boz Scaggs,
The Real Kids,
the Human League,
The Young Rascals,
Danielle Patucci,
Derrick May,
Sonny Sharrock,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Black Flag,
Erykah Badu,
Bobby Hutcherson,
the Normal,
Juan Atkins,
Al Stewart, Al Stewart, Al Stewart, Al Stewart.
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.