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 the UAE and from Philadelphia.
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 1963 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Rahsaan Roland Kirk 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 Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. All the underground hits.
All Black Flag tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Fire Engines record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 theremin and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tubeway Army record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Albert Ayler,
Motorama,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Trojans,
Alphaville,
Babytalk,
Soulsonic Force,
L. Decosne,
DJ Style,
Donny Hathaway,
Barrington Levy,
Barbara Tucker,
Ornette Coleman,
Ralphi Rosario,
DNA,
Curtis Mayfield,
Scratch Acid,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Joy Division,
the Bar-Kays,
The Stooges,
The Fortunes,
Thee Headcoats,
Sex Pistols,
Icehouse,
Amon Düül II,
Henry Cow,
Marshall Jefferson,
Moss Icon,
Japan,
Ronan,
B.T. Express,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
the Fania All-Stars,
the Swans,
Rotary Connection,
The Red Krayola,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Mummies,
Gang Starr,
the Slits,
Circle Jerks,
Nik Kershaw,
Roger Hodgson,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Doors,
Kurtis Blow,
The Monochrome Set,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Pantaleimon,
Warren Ellis,
T. Rex,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Lou Reed,
Sällskapet,
The Smiths,
The Slackers,
Lee Hazlewood,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Pylon,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Pharoah Sanders,
Dave Gahan,
Robert Hood,
Half Japanese, Half Japanese, Half Japanese, Half Japanese.
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.