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 Czech Republic and from Spokane.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 marimba 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 Skaos to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Red Krayola. All the underground hits.
All Rakim tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Slits record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 an oboe and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tomorrow record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Pantaleimon,
Aswad,
Average White Band,
The Techniques,
The Happenings,
Gichy Dan,
Barry Ungar,
The Residents,
E-Dancer,
Fugazi,
Deadbeat,
Suicide,
Icehouse,
the Germs,
Y Pants,
Sugar Minott,
Robert Hood,
Stockholm Monsters,
Colin Newman,
Man Eating Sloth,
Basic Channel,
Sex Pistols,
Niagra,
The Associates,
Trumans Water,
Judy Mowatt,
the Normal,
U.S. Maple,
Malaria!,
The Wake,
EPMD,
Surgeon,
Nico,
Young Marble Giants,
Steve Hackett,
Black Pus,
Ronnie Foster,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Lalo Schifrin,
X-Ray Spex,
The Angels of Light,
Moebius,
The Names,
Dead Boys,
The Velvet Underground,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Leaves,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Dorothy Ashby,
Black Sheep,
Tom Boy,
The Human League,
David Axelrod,
Ralphi Rosario,
Bobbi Humphrey,
10cc,
Masters at Work,
Shuggie Otis,
Pylon,
Black Moon,
Kayak,
Ten City, Ten City, Ten City, Ten City.
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.