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 Eritrea and from Tehran.
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 1963 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
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 L. Decosne to the rock kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Kurtis Blow. All the underground hits.
All Gil Scott Heron tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Avey Tare record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Audionom record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Beau Brummels,
Rotary Connection,
Tropical Tobacco,
Joey Negro,
Rites of Spring,
Unwound,
Dorothy Ashby,
Avey Tare,
Max Romeo,
the Swans,
Altered Images,
Nils Olav,
Peter & Gordon,
Khruangbin,
Hashim,
Ralphi Rosario,
Boogie Down Productions,
Todd Terry,
Anthony Braxton,
Arthur Verocai,
Kool Moe Dee,
Blake Baxter,
The Leaves,
Lakeside,
Spandau Ballet,
Albert Ayler,
Audionom,
Ultra Naté,
Tommy Roe,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Public Image Ltd.,
Eden Ahbez,
Slave,
Terrestrial Tones,
Brothers Johnson,
The Misunderstood,
Marcia Griffiths,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Mary Jane Girls,
Scratch Acid,
Tubeway Army,
Rekid,
Theoretical Girls,
Patti Smith,
Colin Newman,
Jawbox,
The Neon Judgement,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Donny Hathaway,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Skaos,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Skriet,
Harmonia,
One Last Wish,
Yellowson,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Walker Brothers,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
the Fania All-Stars,
Deakin,
OOIOO, OOIOO, OOIOO, OOIOO.
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.