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 Tonga and from Hong Kong.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Eve St. Jones to the punk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Wasted Youth. All the underground hits.
All Marvin Gaye tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Pus record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Popol Vuh record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sonic Youth,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Inner City,
The Divine Comedy,
Hashim,
Iggy Pop,
Newcleus,
Average White Band,
Scan 7,
Loose Ends,
Spandau Ballet,
Qualms,
Monks,
The Human League,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Pagans,
Zero Boys,
CMW,
The Victims,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Second Layer,
Kerrie Biddell,
Zapp,
Lou Christie,
Ponytail,
Godley & Creme,
Make Up,
Khruangbin,
Cecil Taylor,
Johnny Osbourne,
Sandy B,
Neil Young,
Camberwell Now,
Rosa Yemen,
The Mummies,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Five Americans,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Mark Hollis,
Aaron Thompson,
The Fuzztones,
Fatback Band,
Man Parrish,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
The Motions,
Roxy Music,
James Chance & The Contortions,
cv313,
In Retrospect,
The Last Poets,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
World's Most,
Sister Nancy,
a-ha,
Joe Finger,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Howard Jones,
Television Personalities,
Joe Smooth,
Basic Channel,
Country Teasers,
The Cramps, The Cramps, The Cramps, The Cramps.
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.