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 Liberia and from Lagos.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 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 Lonnie Liston Smith to the rap 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 Pantytec. All the underground hits.
All Nation of Ulysses tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Electric Prunes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Funkadelic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Silicon Teens,
The Zeros,
The Toasters,
Massinfluence,
Aloha Tigers,
Spoonie Gee,
Lebanon Hanover,
Glambeats Corp.,
Camberwell Now,
Nils Olav,
Glenn Branca,
Eve St. Jones,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Gories,
Carl Craig,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Country Teasers,
MDC,
Jawbox,
Monolake,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
the Normal,
UT,
Marmalade,
Oneida,
Second Layer,
Sällskapet,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Unwound,
The Doors,
Joe Finger,
The Divine Comedy,
Mandrill,
The Buckinghams,
Bootsy Collins,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Brothers Johnson,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Al Stewart,
Nico,
DNA,
Maleditus Sound,
Spandau Ballet,
June of 44,
The Blues Magoos,
Qualms,
Ultra Naté,
Camouflage,
Kayak,
Can,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Ornette Coleman,
Robert Wyatt,
Saccharine Trust,
Khruangbin,
The Victims,
Blossom Toes,
Black Flag,
The American Breed,
Robert Hood,
Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway.
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.