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 Spain and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 sitar 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 Grauzone to the punk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 The Beau Brummels. All the underground hits.
All James White and The Blacks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Electric Prunes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gang Green record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Harmonia,
Ken Boothe,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Crispy Ambulance,
Soulsonic Force,
The Invisible,
Rekid,
Tears for Fears,
Schoolly D,
Depeche Mode,
Lalann,
The Star Department,
The Litter,
Soul II Soul,
Rhythm & Sound,
Chrome,
Parry Music,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Circle Jerks,
The Index,
Neil Young,
Kurtis Blow,
Harpers Bizarre,
a-ha,
Slick Rick,
Organ,
Pussy Galore,
The Fire Engines,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Sugar Minott,
kango's stein massive,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Rufus Thomas,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Unrelated Segments,
The Sound,
Quadrant,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Jawbox,
Joe Smooth,
Maleditus Sound,
The New Christs,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Reagan Youth,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Zeros,
Joe Finger,
Funkadelic,
New York Dolls,
Eric Copeland,
The Vogues,
Y Pants,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Eric B and Rakim,
Mark Hollis,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Cosmic Jokers,
PIL,
Althea and Donna, Althea and Donna, Althea and Donna, Althea and Donna.
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.