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 Costa Rica and from Portland.
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 1962 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the güiro 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 Althea and Donna to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 the Slits. All the underground hits.
All Idris Muhammad tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Blancmange 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Massinfluence record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Busters,
Rufus Thomas,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Gories,
The Move,
Cymande,
the Germs,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Moody Blues,
Sugar Minott,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Jacob Miller,
Glambeats Corp.,
Ronan,
Hardrive,
Khruangbin,
Stereo Dub,
Marine Girls,
Sarah Menescal,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Television,
UT,
The Zeros,
Flamin' Groovies,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Goldenarms,
Ituana,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Black Flag,
U.S. Maple,
Don Cherry,
Deakin,
Donny Hathaway,
The Saints,
Unrelated Segments,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Roger Hodgson,
Loose Ends,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Pulsallama,
The Golliwogs,
Aswad,
Malaria!,
T. Rex,
Matthew Bourne,
Crispian St. Peters,
Nils Olav,
Drive Like Jehu,
Eric Dolphy,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Panda Bear,
Pere Ubu,
Terrestrial Tones,
Clear Light,
Delon & Dalcan,
Jeff Mills,
The Fortunes,
Minny Pops,
Eric Copeland,
Soulsonic Force, Soulsonic Force, Soulsonic Force, Soulsonic Force.
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.