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 Libya and from Jakarta.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 snare 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 Eddi Front to the grunge 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 New York Dolls. All the underground hits.
All Sandy B tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Barbara Tucker 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Fad Gadget record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Wire,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
the Association,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
48th St. Collective,
Eric Copeland,
Audionom,
Arcadia,
The Fortunes,
The Golliwogs,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Sonics,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Pantaleimon,
Eddi Front,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Albert Ayler,
Flipper,
Y Pants,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Remains,
Swell Maps,
Avey Tare,
Animal Collective,
The Alarm Clocks,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Soul Sonic Force,
Terrestrial Tones,
Fad Gadget,
Cal Tjader,
The Associates,
Pole,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Misunderstood,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Moody Blues,
Radio Birdman,
Visage,
Wally Richardson,
Bronski Beat,
Laurel Aitken,
The Beau Brummels,
Iggy Pop,
Soft Machine,
Livin' Joy,
X-101,
Frankie Knuckles,
Moebius,
Delon & Dalcan,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Aaron Thompson,
The Velvet Underground,
Camberwell Now,
Porter Ricks,
Jacques Brel,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Lucky Dragons,
Delta 5,
Ultravox,
Echospace,
Robert Hood, Robert Hood, Robert Hood, Robert Hood.
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.