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 Korea South and from Stockholm.
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 1965 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 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 Sun Ra to the disco 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 Kinks. All the underground hits.
All The Last Poets tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Knickerbockers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 theremin and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Marvin Gaye record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scott Walker,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
the Human League,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
New York Dolls,
Massinfluence,
Ice-T,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Television,
Vainqueur,
This Heat,
Godley & Creme,
Don Cherry,
Symarip,
Index,
Lebanon Hanover,
Stockholm Monsters,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Stooges,
Metal Thangz,
Radiohead,
Rakim,
Basic Channel,
David McCallum,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Groovy Waters,
One Last Wish,
Soulsonic Force,
Ten City,
Faraquet,
Ohio Players,
Nas,
Mr. Review,
Barbara Tucker,
Oblivians,
Marshall Jefferson,
Monolake,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Sex Pistols,
The Litter,
the Bar-Kays,
Ken Boothe,
Man Eating Sloth,
Maleditus Sound,
Eddi Front,
Roy Ayers,
Matthew Halsall,
Josef K,
Guru Guru,
Public Image Ltd.,
DNA,
Delta 5,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Frankie Knuckles,
Drive Like Jehu,
Bobby Womack,
Amon Düül,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The Divine Comedy,
Adolescents,
Erykah Badu,
Von Mondo, Von Mondo, Von Mondo, Von Mondo.
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.