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 Australia and from Lyon.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Human League to the funk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Louis and Bebe Barron. All the underground hits.
All Funky Four + One tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Swans record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Theoretical Girls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
A Flock of Seagulls,
Funky Four + One,
Mad Mike,
Sister Nancy,
The Busters,
Von Mondo,
Pantaleimon,
Lucky Dragons,
Nick Fraelich,
Khruangbin,
June Days,
Cymande,
Section 25,
Yaz,
Max Romeo,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Prince Buster,
The Pretty Things,
The Gladiators,
Piero Umiliani,
The Evens,
Robert Hood,
The Buckinghams,
Royal Trux,
The Saints,
Ultra Naté,
Drive Like Jehu,
Arthur Verocai,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Albert Ayler,
Curtis Mayfield,
The Human League,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
John Lydon,
Rod Modell,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
the Association,
Nico,
Schoolly D,
Ronan,
Accadde A,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Quadrant,
Theoretical Girls,
Donald Byrd,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
A Certain Ratio,
Depeche Mode,
These Immortal Souls,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Vladislav Delay,
Trumans Water,
Can,
Neil Young,
Echospace,
Funkadelic,
Faust,
The Motions,
DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak.
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.