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 Mozambique and from Beijing.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 Nile Rodgers 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 Whodini to the crunk 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 Lou Reed & John Cale. All the underground hits.
All John Coltrane tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sarah Menescal record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mantronix record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Big Daddy Kane,
The Human League,
Silicon Teens,
Marc Almond,
Little Man,
Maleditus Sound,
One Last Wish,
The Pretty Things,
Scion,
Dual Sessions,
This Heat,
Popol Vuh,
Essential Logic,
Moebius,
The Sonics,
Tropical Tobacco,
the Fania All-Stars,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Pharoah Sanders,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Agent Orange,
Groovy Waters,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The Residents,
Eric Copeland,
Severed Heads,
Soul II Soul,
Howard Jones,
The Doors,
Lee Hazlewood,
Buzzcocks,
the Sonics,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Model 500,
Youth Brigade,
Blossom Toes,
The Remains,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
In Retrospect,
Scientists,
Brothers Johnson,
Eddi Front,
The Flesh Eaters,
Vladislav Delay,
Pagans,
The Smoke,
The Offenders,
Scratch Acid,
Maurizio,
Warren Ellis,
Khruangbin,
E-Dancer,
The Dirtbombs,
Lalo Schifrin,
Electric Prunes,
Lyres,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Kerrie Biddell,
Second Layer,
Jeff Lynne,
Freddie Wadling,
Aswad,
Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill.
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.