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 Jakarta.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the marimba 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 The Pop Group to the techno kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Toasters. All the underground hits.
All The Fuzztones tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Sheep record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Index record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Real Kids,
Andrew Hill,
T. Rex,
Rod Modell,
The Litter,
Steve Hackett,
World's Most,
The Searchers,
Spoonie Gee,
Spandau Ballet,
The Zeros,
Joey Negro,
Hasil Adkins,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Johnny Clarke,
Sound Behaviour,
The Grass Roots,
Make Up,
Piero Umiliani,
Grauzone,
Radiopuhelimet,
Wings,
The United States of America,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Soul Sonic Force,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Mantronix,
Dead Boys,
F. McDonald,
the Sonics,
Black Sheep,
Jandek,
Wasted Youth,
Glambeats Corp.,
Silicon Teens,
Second Layer,
Deepchord,
Audionom,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Crispian St. Peters,
Dennis Brown,
Dual Sessions,
Lungfish,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Black Pus,
Boz Scaggs,
Tomorrow,
Alphaville,
The Knickerbockers,
Fela Kuti,
Subhumans,
Brand Nubian,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Gong,
The Monks,
David McCallum,
Bang On A Can,
Leonard Cohen,
Ultravox, Ultravox, Ultravox, Ultravox.
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.