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 Lesotho and from Manchester.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Scrapy 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 Patti Smith. All the underground hits.
All Flipper tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Sound 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an organ and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a MC5 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Monolake,
Piero Umiliani,
Interpol,
Skaos,
Derrick May,
Ken Boothe,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Residents,
Slave,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Pagans,
Morten Harket,
Agent Orange,
Jeff Mills,
Fugazi,
Byron Stingily,
Livin' Joy,
Tom Boy,
Brand Nubian,
Lightning Bolt,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Godley & Creme,
Prince Buster,
Boredoms,
Joyce Sims,
Drive Like Jehu,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Intrusion,
Joe Finger,
Negative Approach,
Joe Smooth,
Accadde A,
Babytalk,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Gerry Rafferty,
Don Cherry,
The Five Americans,
Vainqueur,
Nils Olav,
Swell Maps,
Ituana,
T. Rex,
Harmonia,
Harry Pussy,
Yaz,
Roxy Music,
Section 25,
Ronan,
Kerrie Biddell,
Eli Mardock,
Von Mondo,
Minnie Riperton,
The Neon Judgement,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Throbbing Gristle,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Doors,
Q and Not U,
Crispy Ambulance,
Aural Exciters,
Gang Gang Dance,
Ultravox,
Aswad, Aswad, Aswad, Aswad.
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.