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 Niger and from Bremen.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Albert Ayler to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Bush Tetras. All the underground hits.
All The Blackbyrds tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nas record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Barbara Tucker record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fluxion,
Radiohead,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Scratch Acid,
Metal Thangz,
Duran Duran,
Tears for Fears,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Detroit Cobras,
Crispy Ambulance,
Colin Newman,
Con Funk Shun,
Cecil Taylor,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Basic Channel,
Eric Copeland,
Hashim,
Chris Corsano,
Bluetip,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Young Rascals,
The Gap Band,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Moby Grape,
Minutemen,
Bootsy Collins,
Urselle,
Bobby Byrd,
The Pretty Things,
Byron Stingily,
Arthur Verocai,
The Monks,
Glambeats Corp.,
Glenn Branca,
The Moody Blues,
Albert Ayler,
It's A Beautiful Day,
the Slits,
Alphaville,
Soft Cell,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Todd Rundgren,
Pet Shop Boys,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Boredoms,
Rhythm & Sound,
Black Moon,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Supertramp,
X-102,
Stiv Bators,
Thee Headcoats,
L. Decosne,
Soft Machine,
Jeru the Damaja,
Curtis Mayfield,
Warsaw,
Ponytail,
A Certain Ratio,
Jandek,
Crispian St. Peters,
Kas Product,
Gastr Del Sol, Gastr Del Sol, Gastr Del Sol, Gastr Del Sol.
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.