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 Serbia and from Manchester.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
I was working on the güiro 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 Patti Smith to the punk 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 Livin' Joy. All the underground hits.
All Scan 7 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sam Rivers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Louis and Bebe Barron record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
T. Rex,
Babytalk,
The Trojans,
Minnie Riperton,
Drive Like Jehu,
Metal Thangz,
Blancmange,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Stooges,
Surgeon,
Dennis Brown,
Flipper,
James White and The Blacks,
Wasted Youth,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
EPMD,
Jandek,
Kenny Larkin,
The Buckinghams,
John Coltrane,
Excepter,
Quantec,
Blake Baxter,
Barry Ungar,
The United States of America,
The Divine Comedy,
Pagans,
Ken Boothe,
Angry Samoans,
Alton Ellis,
Bobby Sherman,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Donny Hathaway,
The New Christs,
Crash Course in Science,
Throbbing Gristle,
CMW,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Slackers,
Television Personalities,
Severed Heads,
Banda Bassotti,
The Cowsills,
The Fire Engines,
New York Dolls,
New Order,
Howard Jones,
Grauzone,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Black Sheep,
Lebanon Hanover,
Eric B and Rakim,
Second Layer,
Tres Demented,
the Association,
David Axelrod,
Eric Copeland,
Sister Nancy,
Sarah Menescal,
The Golliwogs,
Negative Approach, Negative Approach, Negative Approach, Negative Approach.
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.