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 China and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1962 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Aural Exciters to the crunk 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 Stetsasonic. All the underground hits.
All Spandau Ballet tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Neon Judgement record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Pus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Crime,
Nik Kershaw,
Rufus Thomas,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Brass Construction,
Oneida,
Aloha Tigers,
Yazoo,
Black Pus,
Whodini,
Josef K,
Franke,
Drive Like Jehu,
R.M.O.,
The Count Five,
Darondo,
Cameo,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Shadows of Knight,
Clear Light,
Joyce Sims,
Bad Manners,
Suicide,
Radiohead,
Ludus,
Porter Ricks,
Terry Callier,
Sight & Sound,
Bobby Sherman,
Leonard Cohen,
Jeru the Damaja,
China Crisis,
The United States of America,
Silicon Teens,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
New Order,
Q65,
Jimmy McGriff,
Dawn Penn,
Con Funk Shun,
Susan Cadogan,
Laurel Aitken,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Easy Going,
Smog,
E-Dancer,
Terrestrial Tones,
Flamin' Groovies,
Yaz,
Bobby Byrd,
Girls At Our Best!,
Wally Richardson,
Crispy Ambulance,
Theoretical Girls,
Robert Wyatt,
Joey Negro,
Todd Terry,
Joy Division,
Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys.
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.