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 Guyana and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Strawberry Alarm Clock to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Real Kids. All the underground hits.
All Be Bop Deluxe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lee Hazlewood record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 snare and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sonic Youth record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Flamin' Groovies,
Subhumans,
Minutemen,
Danielle Patucci,
the Normal,
Interpol,
Schoolly D,
Connie Case,
Depeche Mode,
The Pretty Things,
Black Pus,
Blossom Toes,
Pierre Henry,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Tropical Tobacco,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Rapeman,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Monolake,
H. Thieme,
Moby Grape,
The Fugs,
Babytalk,
Public Enemy,
Eric B and Rakim,
Stetsasonic,
Dual Sessions,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Half Japanese,
Scratch Acid,
Toni Rubio,
Vainqueur,
Spoonie Gee,
Maleditus Sound,
The Standells,
The Black Dice,
Iggy Pop,
Big Daddy Kane,
Steve Hackett,
Lalo Schifrin,
FM Einheit,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Yellowson,
Davy DMX,
PIL,
Quadrant,
Juan Atkins,
Rhythm & Sound,
Main Source,
Gabor Szabo,
Bush Tetras,
The Evens,
John Cale,
Sugar Minott,
Sonic Youth,
Cymande,
Eddi Front,
Lucky Dragons,
Blancmange,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan.
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.