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 Gabon and from Jakarta.
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 Woodstock.
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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Pop Group to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Procol Harum. All the underground hits.
All Drive Like Jehu tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Names 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Angels of Light & Akron/Family record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scientists,
The Dirtbombs,
Funkadelic,
Fatback Band,
Surgeon,
Erykah Badu,
Yazoo,
Fear,
The Slits,
The Move,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Joe Smooth,
Cameo,
Accadde A,
Boogie Down Productions,
Cluster,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Unwound,
Bronski Beat,
Sandy B,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Rhythm & Sound,
Lou Reed,
Model 500,
Lindisfarne,
Quando Quango,
Johnny Osbourne,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Boredoms,
Oneida,
Joe Finger,
John Holt,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Heaven 17,
Crooked Eye,
Glambeats Corp.,
Cymande,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Rosa Yemen,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
U.S. Maple,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Matthew Halsall,
The Five Americans,
Sixth Finger,
Reagan Youth,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Sun City Girls,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Martian,
Visage,
Lightning Bolt,
Fad Gadget,
Agent Orange,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Chris Corsano,
Make Up,
Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya.
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.