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 Chad and from Portland.
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 1962 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 Tom Verlaine 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 The Busters 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 The Evens. All the underground hits.
All Pulsallama tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scan 7 record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Skatalites record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bobbi Humphrey,
AZ,
Bobby Sherman,
Sun Ra,
Piero Umiliani,
Ponytail,
Terrestrial Tones,
Barrington Levy,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
ABC,
Patti Smith,
Mandrill,
The Litter,
Sister Nancy,
Wolf Eyes,
The Associates,
Althea and Donna,
John Lydon,
Barry Ungar,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Television,
La Düsseldorf,
Q and Not U,
Lower 48,
Pierre Henry,
Arthur Verocai,
John Foxx,
Brass Construction,
Oblivians,
Buzzcocks,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Mummies,
Q65,
New Order,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Stockholm Monsters,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Crime,
Babytalk,
Minor Threat,
CMW,
Desert Stars,
Amon Düül,
Animal Collective,
The Human League,
Radio Birdman,
B.T. Express,
Newcleus,
Jeru the Damaja,
Deadbeat,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Techniques,
Gerry Rafferty,
R.M.O.,
Pagans,
Essential Logic,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Black Dice,
Slick Rick,
Aaron Thompson,
Alphaville,
David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod.
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.