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 Zambia and from Columbus.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Tehran.
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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Eli Mardock to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Techniques. All the underground hits.
All Jerry Gold Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Saints 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 a linndrum and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Essential Logic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Monolake,
Au Pairs,
Lungfish,
Massinfluence,
Fluxion,
Connie Case,
Todd Terry,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The J.B.'s,
Minny Pops,
Fatback Band,
New York Dolls,
Hoover,
Girls At Our Best!,
Black Bananas,
Leonard Cohen,
The Misunderstood,
Joe Smooth,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Charles Mingus,
Aural Exciters,
The Residents,
The Slits,
Supertramp,
Mission of Burma,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Lucky Dragons,
MC5,
Cybotron,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Lou Christie,
Davy DMX,
Ossler,
Babytalk,
Camberwell Now,
Cymande,
Thompson Twins,
The Standells,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Barry Ungar,
Nico,
The Slackers,
Accadde A,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Masters at Work,
Talk Talk,
UT,
Rapeman,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Sonny Sharrock,
Agitation Free,
Eli Mardock,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Techniques,
Soulsonic Force,
Sugar Minott,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Animal Collective, Animal Collective, Animal Collective, Animal Collective.
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.