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 New Zealand and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 Manchester and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 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 Franke to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Andrew Hill. All the underground hits.
All Gang Green tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Urselle 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brothers Johnson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scrapy,
Marmalade,
The Associates,
the Slits,
Vladislav Delay,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Smoke,
Erykah Badu,
Gong,
Amon Düül,
Bush Tetras,
The Cramps,
Crispian St. Peters,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Delta 5,
Lebanon Hanover,
CMW,
Gang Gang Dance,
Pussy Galore,
World's Most,
Animal Collective,
Sight & Sound,
The Sound,
Minutemen,
Lungfish,
Lee Hazlewood,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
ABBA,
Black Sheep,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Scott Walker,
LL Cool J,
Eyeless In Gaza,
New Order,
Panda Bear,
Tom Boy,
The Mojo Men,
Q65,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Crooked Eye,
Eddi Front,
Eve St. Jones,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Mandrill,
Darondo,
DNA,
Barry Ungar,
The Divine Comedy,
Pantaleimon,
Ice-T,
Soft Cell,
The Red Krayola,
Charles Mingus,
Country Teasers,
OOIOO,
Godley & Creme,
Jimmy McGriff,
Gang Green, Gang Green, Gang Green, Gang Green.
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.