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 Gabon and from Copenhagen.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Lyon.
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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Juan Atkins to the techno kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Urselle. All the underground hits.
All Gian Franco Pienzio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Albert Ayler record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Country Joe & The Fish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Patti Smith,
The Evens,
Gong,
Mandrill,
Lightning Bolt,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Motions,
Bobby Womack,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Lucky Dragons,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Birthday Party,
New York Dolls,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Tears for Fears,
Subhumans,
Erasure,
Massinfluence,
Sight & Sound,
Nirvana,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Connie Case,
Man Eating Sloth,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Leaves,
Tres Demented,
The Human League,
Alice Coltrane,
Mo-Dettes,
Negative Approach,
Kaleidoscope,
Pere Ubu,
Aloha Tigers,
Public Image Ltd.,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Spandau Ballet,
Theoretical Girls,
Hasil Adkins,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Modern Lovers,
Gichy Dan,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Moleskins,
Charles Mingus,
Nils Olav,
cv313,
Lalann,
Wolf Eyes,
Glenn Branca,
Blake Baxter,
Rufus Thomas,
The Neon Judgement,
The Shadows of Knight,
Fat Boys,
Flamin' Groovies,
Kayak,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Brand Nubian,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
The American Breed,
Oblivians,
Spoonie Gee,
Bauhaus, Bauhaus, Bauhaus, Bauhaus.
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.