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 Kosovo and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 synthesizer 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 Crooked Eye to the funk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Bobby Womack. All the underground hits.
All Glenn Branca tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott Heron record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sonic Youth record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gil Scott Heron,
Donald Byrd,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Shuggie Otis,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Little Man,
The Five Americans,
Pet Shop Boys,
Interpol,
The Motions,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Suicide,
PIL,
Brass Construction,
Buzzcocks,
Hot Snakes,
Bootsy Collins,
The Index,
The Evens,
Japan,
Bluetip,
Goldenarms,
Mantronix,
John Holt,
Motorama,
The Residents,
Swans,
Make Up,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The Smoke,
Eric Dolphy,
MC5,
Niagra,
Ponytail,
ABC,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Average White Band,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Dennis Brown,
Hasil Adkins,
Donny Hathaway,
Guru Guru,
Leonard Cohen,
John Foxx,
Tres Demented,
The Martian,
Joy Division,
Byron Stingily,
Sällskapet,
Vladislav Delay,
Judy Mowatt,
The Gap Band,
Kerri Chandler,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Matthew Bourne,
Moss Icon,
Jeru the Damaja,
Nation of Ulysses,
Alison Limerick,
Harpers Bizarre,
Symarip, Symarip, Symarip, Symarip.
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.