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 Korea North and from Mexico City.
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 Stockholm and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 H. Thieme to the punk 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 Faraquet. All the underground hits.
All Saccharine Trust tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Slits record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 linndrum and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brick record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Modern Lovers,
DJ Style,
Magma,
Black Sheep,
Von Mondo,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Alison Limerick,
Deepchord,
Popol Vuh,
Motorama,
Scrapy,
Patti Smith,
Gil Scott Heron,
Eric Dolphy,
June Days,
Pantytec,
Carl Craig,
The Victims,
Lou Reed,
Gastr Del Sol,
OOIOO,
Soul Sonic Force,
Judy Mowatt,
Pussy Galore,
Tom Boy,
Saccharine Trust,
Neu!,
The Evens,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Fall,
Derrick Morgan,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Faraquet,
Chris & Cosey,
Terry Callier,
Chrome,
Eurythmics,
The Martian,
the Normal,
Jeff Lynne,
Fad Gadget,
Boredoms,
Roxy Music,
Ituana,
H. Thieme,
Max Romeo,
Joy Division,
Grauzone,
Radio Birdman,
LL Cool J,
The Mummies,
Agent Orange,
Wolf Eyes,
The Black Dice,
Alton Ellis,
The Knickerbockers,
Mandrill,
Alphaville,
JFA,
Mantronix,
Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes, Mo-Dettes.
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.