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 Congo and from Columbus.
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 1968 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 rhodes sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Maurizio to the rap 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 These Immortal Souls. All the underground hits.
All Nirvana tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Major Organ And The Adding Machine 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bill Wells record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Mission of Burma,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Terry Callier,
DJ Sneak,
Eric B and Rakim,
Theoretical Girls,
China Crisis,
Kool Moe Dee,
Sandy B,
Barbara Tucker,
Cheater Slicks,
Tom Boy,
The Associates,
Derrick Morgan,
Wings,
Electric Prunes,
Symarip,
Mary Jane Girls,
Archie Shepp,
Banda Bassotti,
Kerri Chandler,
JFA,
Al Stewart,
Newcleus,
Piero Umiliani,
Brothers Johnson,
The Count Five,
Outsiders,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Bobby Womack,
Moss Icon,
Funky Four + One,
Crime,
Roy Ayers,
Groovy Waters,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Ultravox,
Shuggie Otis,
Sarah Menescal,
The J.B.'s,
the Soft Cell,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Smog,
Brick,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Negative Approach,
June of 44,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
the Slits,
Maleditus Sound,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Mummies,
Franke,
Eli Mardock,
Minnie Riperton,
Sound Behaviour,
Alison Limerick,
the Germs,
Lebanon Hanover,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Happenings, The Happenings, The Happenings, The Happenings.
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.