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 Marshall Islands 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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Yusef Lateef to the rap kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Kerri Chandler. All the underground hits.
All Glenn Branca tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Stereo Dub 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joyce Sims record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Victims,
Loose Ends,
Desert Stars,
Ohio Players,
Angry Samoans,
Ten City,
LL Cool J,
Skarface,
Joyce Sims,
Zapp,
Basic Channel,
AZ,
Robert Hood,
Moss Icon,
The Walker Brothers,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Al Stewart,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Eric Dolphy,
Lightning Bolt,
Zero Boys,
Joe Finger,
Marvin Gaye,
Roxy Music,
CMW,
The Gladiators,
Avey Tare,
The Fugs,
Q65,
Alison Limerick,
Sight & Sound,
The Knickerbockers,
Nick Fraelich,
The Divine Comedy,
8 Eyed Spy,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Yazoo,
Joensuu 1685,
Dawn Penn,
Sarah Menescal,
Junior Murvin,
Thee Headcoats,
Pantaleimon,
Yaz,
Malaria!,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Tres Demented,
Kayak,
The Fire Engines,
Amon Düül,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
The Sound,
Rakim,
James White and The Blacks,
The American Breed,
Franke,
Pylon,
Blake Baxter,
Grey Daturas,
Soft Machine,
Bobby Byrd, Bobby Byrd, Bobby Byrd, Bobby Byrd.
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.