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 Singapore and from Mexico City.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Toasters to the electroclash 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 Kayak. All the underground hits.
All Rekid tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Selecter record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s 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 Bootsy Collins record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Ten City,
Cymande,
Moby Grape,
Ultimate Spinach,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Harry Pussy,
Tubeway Army,
Jesper Dahlback,
the Human League,
Janne Schatter,
Brick,
Drive Like Jehu,
Fatback Band,
Alton Ellis,
Aswad,
Crime,
Joe Finger,
Pharoah Sanders,
Essential Logic,
the Normal,
Talk Talk,
Mandrill,
Flash Fearless,
Cecil Taylor,
Blancmange,
Symarip,
Chris & Cosey,
Smog,
Marvin Gaye,
LL Cool J,
Boogie Down Productions,
Dual Sessions,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Star Department,
Gastr Del Sol,
Mary Jane Girls,
Patti Smith,
Chris Corsano,
The Skatalites,
The Angels of Light,
Easy Going,
Quantec,
T. Rex,
Sonny Sharrock,
Model 500,
Brothers Johnson,
Kaleidoscope,
Crash Course in Science,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Wasted Youth,
Ice-T,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
John Coltrane,
Marmalade,
Roy Ayers,
Schoolly D,
Mad Mike,
Nas,
Loose Ends,
Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus.
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.