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 Cuba and from Woodstock.
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 1960 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Taipei.
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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Prince Buster to the rap 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 Alton Ellis. All the underground hits.
All Blake Baxter tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Art Ensemble Of Chicago record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Moss Icon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Minny Pops,
The Doobie Brothers,
Wolf Eyes,
ABBA,
Ituana,
The Index,
Peter and Kerry,
Roxy Music,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Scratch Acid,
Sonny Sharrock,
Oneida,
Scan 7,
Isaac Hayes,
Yusef Lateef,
Faraquet,
T.S.O.L.,
Bad Manners,
The Martian,
Rhythm & Sound,
Eden Ahbez,
Junior Murvin,
Kerrie Biddell,
Parry Music,
A Flock of Seagulls,
the Sonics,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Youth Brigade,
Harmonia,
Fatback Band,
Freddie Wadling,
Tres Demented,
Wire,
The Divine Comedy,
Gang Starr,
Max Romeo,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Leonard Cohen,
Blake Baxter,
Pylon,
Sister Nancy,
Aaron Thompson,
Talk Talk,
Faust,
Inner City,
Suburban Knight,
Jerry Gold Smith,
8 Eyed Spy,
Gastr Del Sol,
Eve St. Jones,
Robert Görl,
F. McDonald,
The Red Krayola,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Slackers,
Pierre Henry,
Mo-Dettes,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Slave,
Fat Boys,
Lalo Schifrin,
Jandek,
Barrington Levy,
Amon Düül II,
Moby Grape, Moby Grape, Moby Grape, Moby Grape.
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.