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 Bangladesh and from Lyon.
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 1960 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan to the rap 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 Drive Like Jehu. All the underground hits.
All John Cale tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bobby Womack record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brothers Johnson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Minnie Riperton,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Mandrill,
Sister Nancy,
Bauhaus,
The Golliwogs,
Cymande,
The Cowsills,
Animal Collective,
The Birthday Party,
John Foxx,
Sex Pistols,
Livin' Joy,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Derrick May,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Kas Product,
Rhythm & Sound,
ABC,
Howard Jones,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
JFA,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Rod Modell,
Eli Mardock,
Iggy Pop,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Marvin Gaye,
Faraquet,
Arcadia,
Drive Like Jehu,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Throbbing Gristle,
Easy Going,
Suburban Knight,
The Victims,
Juan Atkins,
World's Most,
The Blackbyrds,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Eric Dolphy,
Anthony Braxton,
Cal Tjader,
Altered Images,
Pantaleimon,
Lakeside,
Mantronix,
The Monochrome Set,
Lalann,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Ornette Coleman,
E-Dancer,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Mr. Review,
Lyres,
Max Romeo,
Scientists,
Ronnie Foster,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Searchers, The Searchers, The Searchers, The Searchers.
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.