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 Comoros and from Portland.
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 1963 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Minutemen to the funk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Crooked Eye. All the underground hits.
All E-Dancer tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every June Days record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 guitar and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a 48th St. Collective record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Slick Rick,
Gregory Isaacs,
Amon Düül,
Eric Copeland,
Grauzone,
Sonic Youth,
Pharoah Sanders,
Tears for Fears,
Nick Fraelich,
Sam Rivers,
David Axelrod,
Ornette Coleman,
Grey Daturas,
Youth Brigade,
The Victims,
The Zeros,
Nils Olav,
Brand Nubian,
Juan Atkins,
The Searchers,
Lower 48,
The Black Dice,
The Raincoats,
Isaac Hayes,
The Mummies,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Ultimate Spinach,
Jeru the Damaja,
Tres Demented,
R.M.O.,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Magazine,
Arab on Radar,
Sun Ra,
Eddi Front,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Heaven 17,
Quantec,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Robert Görl,
Neu!,
the Association,
Cybotron,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Sister Nancy,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Walker Brothers,
Robert Hood,
Q and Not U,
The Offenders,
Mission of Burma,
Mr. Review,
Barrington Levy,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Invisible,
Flipper,
Khruangbin,
Sixth Finger,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Fugazi,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Sugar Minott, Sugar Minott, Sugar Minott, Sugar Minott.
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.