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 Turkmenistan and from Cairo.
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 1967 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 James White and The Blacks to the electroclash 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 The Seeds. All the underground hits.
All Barbara Tucker tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Joy Division record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Chocolate Watch Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Max Romeo,
World's Most,
MDC,
B.T. Express,
Ituana,
Letta Mbulu,
Desert Stars,
Sunsets and Hearts,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Sam Rivers,
Howard Jones,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Sonic Youth,
The Smiths,
The Move,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
the Fania All-Stars,
D'Angelo,
Warren Ellis,
EPMD,
The Dave Clark Five,
Nik Kershaw,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
The Dirtbombs,
Kenny Larkin,
Neu!,
Maleditus Sound,
Steve Hackett,
Big Daddy Kane,
Cal Tjader,
Erasure,
Colin Newman,
Traffic Nightmare,
The Saints,
Jimmy McGriff,
Gang Starr,
The Fire Engines,
The Dead C,
Erykah Badu,
The Last Poets,
Dark Day,
Hashim,
Pantaleimon,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Liliput,
Jesper Dahlback,
Drive Like Jehu,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Dennis Brown,
Jandek,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
F. McDonald,
T.S.O.L.,
The Human League,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Wally Richardson,
Ultravox,
The Techniques,
Vladislav Delay,
Graham Central Station, Graham Central Station, Graham Central Station, Graham Central Station.
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.