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 Guinea and from Houston.
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 1969 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the marimba 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 Absolute Body Control to the techno kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Pet Shop Boys. All the underground hits.
All Eli Mardock tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Organ 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Moon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fad Gadget,
Saccharine Trust,
Gil Scott Heron,
Peter and Kerry,
Man Parrish,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The Evens,
Kerri Chandler,
Alice Coltrane,
FM Einheit,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Velvet Underground,
Ituana,
Derrick Morgan,
Boredoms,
The Zeros,
Carl Craig,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
These Immortal Souls,
Albert Ayler,
Roger Hodgson,
Nation of Ulysses,
Soul II Soul,
Sparks,
Angry Samoans,
Drexciya,
Model 500,
Scratch Acid,
Talk Talk,
the Swans,
Sarah Menescal,
The Gun Club,
Television Personalities,
The Smoke,
The Mojo Men,
Yellowson,
The Pop Group,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Yazoo,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Trumans Water,
Eric Copeland,
Bobby Womack,
Popol Vuh,
Flamin' Groovies,
Warren Ellis,
The Gladiators,
The Five Americans,
LL Cool J,
Gregory Isaacs,
Kayak,
Motorama,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Slick Rick,
A Certain Ratio,
David McCallum,
The Fortunes,
Sonic Youth,
Brothers Johnson, Brothers Johnson, Brothers Johnson, Brothers Johnson.
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.