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 Slovakia and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 clarinet 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 Technova to the electroclash 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 Marcia Griffiths. All the underground hits.
All Kaleidoscope tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every It's A Beautiful Day 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ronan record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cecil Taylor,
Yusef Lateef,
Infiniti,
Archie Shepp,
Lyres,
Black Pus,
Crime,
Franke,
The Last Poets,
The Doors,
the Fania All-Stars,
Organ,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Yaz,
Pantaleimon,
Rhythm & Sound,
Moby Grape,
Brick,
Khruangbin,
MDC,
Rotary Connection,
Nirvana,
Man Eating Sloth,
Wasted Youth,
The Busters,
Metal Thangz,
Ten City,
Chris Corsano,
The Doobie Brothers,
Glambeats Corp.,
Leonard Cohen,
Scion,
Isaac Hayes,
Donald Byrd,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Beasts of Bourbon,
CMW,
The Sonics,
The Grass Roots,
the Normal,
The Dirtbombs,
Nas,
Sexual Harrassment,
Ossler,
Blake Baxter,
Bluetip,
Ludus,
Steve Hackett,
Public Enemy,
Boredoms,
Eden Ahbez,
The Birthday Party,
Ken Boothe,
Joe Finger,
Swell Maps,
Eric Dolphy,
London Community Gospel Choir,
MC5,
Kaleidoscope,
Arab on Radar,
Bobby Sherman, Bobby Sherman, Bobby Sherman, Bobby Sherman.
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.