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 Ivory Coast and from Shanghai.
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 1967 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Young Rascals to the rock kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Junior Murvin. All the underground hits.
All Popol Vuh tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sight & Sound 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang on a Can All-Stars record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gichy Dan,
Pantaleimon,
Deakin,
Hasil Adkins,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Sound,
Parry Music,
F. McDonald,
Agitation Free,
Dead Boys,
Gang Starr,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Shadows of Knight,
Hashim,
Adolescents,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Steve Hackett,
Roy Ayers,
Gregory Isaacs,
U.S. Maple,
Ludus,
48th St. Collective,
The Doors,
Eric B and Rakim,
David Axelrod,
Man Eating Sloth,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Danielle Patucci,
Section 25,
Rekid,
The Durutti Column,
Sonny Sharrock,
Stetsasonic,
Joey Negro,
Howard Jones,
The Detroit Cobras,
Lightning Bolt,
Ultimate Spinach,
Mark Hollis,
The Invisible,
Japan,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Excepter,
Prince Buster,
The Blackbyrds,
Minor Threat,
The Searchers,
The Wake,
Nas,
Soul Sonic Force,
Harry Pussy,
Radiohead,
The Black Dice,
Deadbeat,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Sonic Youth,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Livin' Joy,
Monolake, Monolake, Monolake, Monolake.
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.