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 Iraq and from Philadelphia.
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 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Bill Wells to the dance kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. All the underground hits.
All Buzzcocks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Average White Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 clarinet and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a New Age Steppers 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?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Bobby Hutcherson,
JFA,
The Sonics,
Swans,
Nation of Ulysses,
Slave,
The Toasters,
The Mummies,
The Music Machine,
Bronski Beat,
Flash Fearless,
The Velvet Underground,
La Düsseldorf,
Fluxion,
Loose Ends,
Roxette,
Ludus,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Lebanon Hanover,
Mission of Burma,
Crash Course in Science,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Delon & Dalcan,
Minny Pops,
Unrelated Segments,
A Flock of Seagulls,
The Gladiators,
Rakim,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Slick Rick,
the Germs,
World's Most,
Alison Limerick,
Isaac Hayes,
Chris Corsano,
Henry Cow,
Circle Jerks,
Sugar Minott,
Wings,
Erasure,
The Red Krayola,
Intrusion,
The Raincoats,
The Mojo Men,
Harry Pussy,
Jacob Miller,
The Monks,
Symarip,
John Holt,
Donny Hathaway,
Amon Düül,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Dorothy Ashby,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Amon Düül II,
Cluster,
Bobby Sherman, Bobby Sherman, Bobby Sherman, Bobby Sherman.
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.