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 Sudan and from Mumbai.
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 1966 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Woodstock.
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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Jimmy McGriff 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 Cymande. All the underground hits.
All The Fire Engines tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Angry Samoans 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Von Mondo record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Newcleus,
Simply Red,
The Five Americans,
MC5,
Marcia Griffiths,
Urselle,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Lightning Bolt,
Soft Cell,
Procol Harum,
Kool Moe Dee,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Supertramp,
the Fania All-Stars,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Whodini,
Symarip,
Jeru the Damaja,
Royal Trux,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
L. Decosne,
Junior Murvin,
Surgeon,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Iggy Pop,
Model 500,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Fat Boys,
The Cowsills,
The Evens,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Gong,
Bronski Beat,
Danielle Patucci,
Au Pairs,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Byron Stingily,
The Fugs,
Black Flag,
The Blues Magoos,
Marmalade,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Litter,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Blackbyrds,
the Soft Cell,
Kas Product,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Ludus,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Crime,
Leonard Cohen,
Yusef Lateef,
Ohio Players,
D'Angelo,
Wings,
La Düsseldorf,
The Invisible,
Absolute Body Control,
Bobbi Humphrey, Bobbi Humphrey, Bobbi Humphrey, Bobbi Humphrey.
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.