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 South Sudan and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 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 Aloha Tigers to the disco 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 Bobby Womack. All the underground hits.
All Hardrive tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bronski Beat 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swell Maps record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Black Bananas,
Cameo,
UT,
Khruangbin,
The Buckinghams,
One Last Wish,
LL Cool J,
Connie Case,
Talk Talk,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Audionom,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Monks,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Liliput,
Lalann,
Rekid,
Graham Central Station,
Kerri Chandler,
The J.B.'s,
Marshall Jefferson,
Jawbox,
Wire,
Ossler,
Anthony Braxton,
The Dirtbombs,
New York Dolls,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Dennis Brown,
the Association,
Minnie Riperton,
The Happenings,
Avey Tare,
Curtis Mayfield,
Colin Newman,
Kool Moe Dee,
Bush Tetras,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Fugs,
Oblivians,
The Residents,
Tommy Roe,
Depeche Mode,
Marvin Gaye,
Mad Mike,
Mr. Review,
Yusef Lateef,
Spandau Ballet,
The Victims,
Iggy Pop,
Bobby Byrd,
Royal Trux,
Ten City,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Soft Machine,
Pagans,
Gang Starr,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Rhythm & Sound,
Pulsallama,
The Barracudas,
Television Personalities,
T.S.O.L., T.S.O.L., T.S.O.L., T.S.O.L..
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.