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 Iraq and from Manila.
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 1967 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Crooked Eye to the disco kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Aural Exciters. All the underground hits.
All Amon Düül II tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every James Chance & The Contortions record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Moby Grape record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Josef K,
X-101,
the Soft Cell,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Mantronix,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Ken Boothe,
Bad Manners,
Derrick May,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Skatalites,
Amon Düül,
Johnny Osbourne,
Lucky Dragons,
Sparks,
The Barracudas,
Shuggie Otis,
Wally Richardson,
Ossler,
Radio Birdman,
Procol Harum,
Stereo Dub,
Parry Music,
Joey Negro,
Darondo,
Youth Brigade,
Yusef Lateef,
Model 500,
Scion,
The Names,
Tommy Roe,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Stooges,
the Slits,
Public Image Ltd.,
Andrew Hill,
Hoover,
Television Personalities,
The Residents,
Moss Icon,
Siglo XX,
Pet Shop Boys,
Blake Baxter,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Fire Engines,
Intrusion,
Blancmange,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Mission of Burma,
The Detroit Cobras,
Todd Rundgren,
Ice-T,
Charles Mingus,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Alison Limerick,
The Gladiators,
Qualms,
Eve St. Jones,
The Blackbyrds,
The Happenings,
The Shadows of Knight,
Rotary Connection,
June of 44, June of 44, June of 44, June of 44.
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.