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 Nigeria and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1966 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 clarinet 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 Supertramp to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Buckinghams. All the underground hits.
All Bang on a Can All-Stars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Charles Mingus record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 güiro and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Cosmic Jokers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Alarm Clocks,
48th St. Collective,
Gichy Dan,
Curtis Mayfield,
Eric Dolphy,
The Skatalites,
The Velvet Underground,
Basic Channel,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Residents,
DNA,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
X-101,
Michelle Simonal,
DJ Sneak,
The New Christs,
Joensuu 1685,
the Normal,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Evens,
Section 25,
E-Dancer,
The Motions,
The Smoke,
Iggy Pop,
Supertramp,
Thee Headcoats,
Young Marble Giants,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Peter and Kerry,
Funky Four + One,
10cc,
The Toasters,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Dirtbombs,
Ornette Coleman,
Scion,
The Selecter,
Niagra,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Can,
Joe Finger,
Fugazi,
The Move,
Yazoo,
Arthur Verocai,
MC5,
PIL,
Deakin,
Sparks,
Porter Ricks,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Anthony Braxton,
Eden Ahbez,
The Offenders,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Liliput,
Tomorrow,
Wasted Youth,
Terrestrial Tones,
Alton Ellis,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Byron Stingily, Byron Stingily, Byron Stingily, Byron Stingily.
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.