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 Singapore 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 1968 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the marimba 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 Stockholm Monsters to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Cameo. All the underground hits.
All David Bowie tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Sonics 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and an arpeggiator 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 chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bush Tetras,
Alison Limerick,
Chrome,
The Gories,
Judy Mowatt,
the Human League,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Excepter,
Massinfluence,
One Last Wish,
Grauzone,
Minutemen,
MC5,
the Association,
Chris Corsano,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Jimmy McGriff,
Idris Muhammad,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Danielle Patucci,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Doors,
The Move,
Black Flag,
Alice Coltrane,
Mantronix,
The Misunderstood,
Mission of Burma,
ABBA,
Flipper,
The Detroit Cobras,
The Human League,
D'Angelo,
The Dave Clark Five,
Y Pants,
Hardrive,
Andrew Hill,
Motorama,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Angels of Light,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Dawn Penn,
The Knickerbockers,
the Soft Cell,
Byron Stingily,
Junior Murvin,
Minor Threat,
Cal Tjader,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Remains,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
T. Rex,
Letta Mbulu,
The Raincoats,
New Age Steppers,
Quantec,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Wire,
Gabor Szabo,
Stetsasonic,
Reuben Wilson, Reuben Wilson, Reuben Wilson, Reuben Wilson.
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.