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 Israel and from Shanghai.
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 1967 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Second Layer to the crunk 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 Gang of Four. All the underground hits.
All Cheater Slicks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Darondo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Golliwogs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Misunderstood,
Fugazi,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Nils Olav,
Neil Young,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
48th St. Collective,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Boredoms,
Amon Düül,
Agitation Free,
The Electric Prunes,
Ituana,
Ken Boothe,
Porter Ricks,
Erasure,
Young Marble Giants,
the Soft Cell,
Tubeway Army,
Arthur Verocai,
New Age Steppers,
The Blues Magoos,
Ronnie Foster,
Los Fastidios,
Brass Construction,
Unwound,
Nico,
Delon & Dalcan,
Eddi Front,
Half Japanese,
Groovy Waters,
Terry Callier,
Guru Guru,
The Wake,
Hardrive,
Laurel Aitken,
The Cramps,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Dual Sessions,
Soulsonic Force,
Average White Band,
The Slackers,
Cameo,
The Dead C,
Rotary Connection,
Black Sheep,
The Walker Brothers,
Lalann,
Basic Channel,
Bobby Hutcherson,
June of 44,
Skarface,
Scratch Acid,
The Searchers,
Rosa Yemen,
Darondo,
Little Man,
AZ,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Ultimate Spinach,
L. Decosne,
Pierre Henry,
Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill.
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.