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 Burkina and from Columbus.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Halifax 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 Robert Palmer 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 Moleskins to the grime 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 Eli Mardock. All the underground hits.
All The Slackers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Alphaville record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 linndrum and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Hot Snakes record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Public Image Ltd.,
Qualms,
Tears for Fears,
CMW,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Von Mondo,
Aswad,
Bronski Beat,
Monolake,
Quantec,
The Electric Prunes,
the Soft Cell,
kango's stein massive,
Bang On A Can,
Max Romeo,
Rites of Spring,
The Mummies,
Yusef Lateef,
Ohio Players,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Music Machine,
Moss Icon,
Heaven 17,
Reuben Wilson,
The Shadows of Knight,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Ronan,
The Velvet Underground,
Jerry's Kids,
Donald Byrd,
Lalann,
The Saints,
Pole,
These Immortal Souls,
Clear Light,
Unwound,
The Toasters,
June of 44,
Sparks,
Sarah Menescal,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Tubeway Army,
Isaac Hayes,
Piero Umiliani,
Glenn Branca,
The Durutti Column,
Arcadia,
Wally Richardson,
Country Teasers,
Mary Jane Girls,
Sam Rivers,
The Doors,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Gories,
Byron Stingily,
Sun City Girls,
Grandmaster Flash,
Todd Terry,
Gong,
Negative Approach,
The Real Kids,
F. McDonald,
Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid.
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.