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 Vanuatu and from Philadelphia.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 marimba 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 The Stooges to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade. All the underground hits.
All T.S.O.L. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Darondo 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sex Pistols record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Average White Band,
Lungfish,
Vladislav Delay,
The Move,
The New Christs,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Yazoo,
Terrestrial Tones,
Goldenarms,
The Busters,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Index,
Moss Icon,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Half Japanese,
Yusef Lateef,
Man Eating Sloth,
Arthur Verocai,
The Fuzztones,
Jimmy McGriff,
Traffic Nightmare,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Pantaleimon,
The Modern Lovers,
Chris Corsano,
Fatback Band,
Section 25,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Tears for Fears,
Darondo,
Schoolly D,
Bobby Byrd,
10cc,
The Happenings,
The Associates,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Aloha Tigers,
Electric Prunes,
Saccharine Trust,
Charles Mingus,
X-Ray Spex,
Letta Mbulu,
The Music Machine,
Black Bananas,
Jacques Brel,
John Cale,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Doobie Brothers,
Slick Rick,
Barbara Tucker,
World's Most,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Sparks,
The Raincoats,
Sonic Youth,
Yaz,
Joe Smooth,
The Fugs,
Pole,
Bauhaus,
Delta 5, Delta 5, Delta 5, Delta 5.
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.