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 Belarus and from Manila.
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 New York and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the oboe 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 Sexual Harrassment to the crunk 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 Thompson Twins. All the underground hits.
All The Toasters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Joyce Sims record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Public Image Ltd. record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bauhaus,
FM Einheit,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Kerrie Biddell,
Bobby Byrd,
Andrew Hill,
The Fugs,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Kenny Larkin,
Flipper,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Smiths,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Roxy Music,
The Walker Brothers,
Judy Mowatt,
Sparks,
World's Most,
David Bowie,
Erykah Badu,
The Golliwogs,
Guru Guru,
Faust,
Youth Brigade,
Spoonie Gee,
Moss Icon,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Music Machine,
Letta Mbulu,
Boz Scaggs,
48th St. Collective,
Soul II Soul,
Byron Stingily,
Television Personalities,
Glambeats Corp.,
Franke,
Jawbox,
Ituana,
The Skatalites,
the Association,
Mr. Review,
Newcleus,
Glenn Branca,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Fatback Band,
Section 25,
James White and The Blacks,
The Stooges,
Warsaw,
Barclay James Harvest,
Pylon,
Desert Stars,
Pantytec,
Nation of Ulysses,
Agent Orange,
H. Thieme,
The Detroit Cobras,
Patti Smith,
Eden Ahbez,
Crispian St. Peters,
Todd Rundgren, Todd Rundgren, Todd Rundgren, Todd Rundgren.
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.