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 France and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1962 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Mandrill to the disco kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Niagra. All the underground hits.
All Arcadia tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Skaos record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Scan 7,
Josef K,
the Soft Cell,
Ronnie Foster,
8 Eyed Spy,
Underground Resistance,
Half Japanese,
Electric Prunes,
The Vogues,
Infiniti,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Matthew Bourne,
Reagan Youth,
Morten Harket,
The Five Americans,
PIL,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Fire Engines,
Ponytail,
Kas Product,
Hashim,
Isaac Hayes,
Anthony Braxton,
Ituana,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Jesper Dahlback,
Symarip,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Joensuu 1685,
Rites of Spring,
Nico,
Buzzcocks,
Second Layer,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Flipper,
Rufus Thomas,
Trumans Water,
The Golliwogs,
Goldenarms,
Al Stewart,
The Gories,
Glambeats Corp.,
Black Bananas,
Lou Christie,
Pole,
Lightning Bolt,
Soft Cell,
Nirvana,
Soft Machine,
Terrestrial Tones,
Ice-T,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Eurythmics,
Curtis Mayfield,
Qualms,
Jeff Mills,
Fela Kuti,
Black Flag,
The Barracudas,
Nick Fraelich, Nick Fraelich, Nick Fraelich, Nick Fraelich.
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.