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 Malta and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1962 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 theremin 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 The Golliwogs to the funk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 DJ Style. All the underground hits.
All Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Albert Ayler 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bootsy Collins record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Names,
La Düsseldorf,
Main Source,
Pole,
Youth Brigade,
The Move,
Erykah Badu,
Harpers Bizarre,
Charles Mingus,
The Count Five,
The Black Dice,
Jeff Mills,
Mantronix,
Pharoah Sanders,
Sällskapet,
Gabor Szabo,
Howard Jones,
Ituana,
LL Cool J,
Sixth Finger,
X-Ray Spex,
Au Pairs,
The Fuzztones,
The United States of America,
Darondo,
The Monks,
Juan Atkins,
Young Marble Giants,
Fat Boys,
Joe Finger,
Gastr Del Sol,
Letta Mbulu,
Swell Maps,
Magma,
Blake Baxter,
Black Flag,
Ultimate Spinach,
Panda Bear,
Sarah Menescal,
Lalo Schifrin,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Toni Rubio,
Rakim,
Shuggie Otis,
Blossom Toes,
Rites of Spring,
Icehouse,
The Mojo Men,
Black Pus,
Zapp,
Yusef Lateef,
Johnny Clarke,
Kurtis Blow,
Outsiders,
Skarface,
Gerry Rafferty,
Ice-T,
Minny Pops,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
New York Dolls,
Cabaret Voltaire,
June Days, June Days, June Days, June Days.
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.