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 Ethiopia and from Tokyo.
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 1969 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Q65 to the grunge 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 Blake Baxter. All the underground hits.
All The Black Dice tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Count Five record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Reuben Wilson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Last Poets,
David Axelrod,
the Association,
Slick Rick,
Scion,
Malaria!,
New York Dolls,
Saccharine Trust,
Altered Images,
Lalo Schifrin,
Danielle Patucci,
Gong,
Joensuu 1685,
Derrick May,
Eurythmics,
Flipper,
Eli Mardock,
Blossom Toes,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Gichy Dan,
Marmalade,
Hashim,
Bauhaus,
EPMD,
Das Ding,
The Victims,
Hasil Adkins,
the Germs,
Main Source,
U.S. Maple,
John Holt,
Rapeman,
Electric Prunes,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Bootsy Collins,
Chrome,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Leaves,
Cameo,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Sonics,
Minny Pops,
Drexciya,
Black Moon,
Zapp,
Rotary Connection,
The Pretty Things,
Frankie Knuckles,
Ponytail,
Television Personalities,
The Invisible,
Trumans Water,
Yusef Lateef,
Jeff Mills,
8 Eyed Spy,
Sun Ra,
Von Mondo,
The Mojo Men,
Glenn Branca,
Qualms,
Black Bananas,
Whodini, Whodini, Whodini, Whodini.
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.