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 Afghanistan and from Shanghai.
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 1963 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Seoul.
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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Buckinghams to the crunk 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 The Cure. All the underground hits.
All Black Sheep tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sparks 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Young Rascals record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fear,
Aloha Tigers,
MC5,
The Mummies,
the Swans,
Dawn Penn,
Symarip,
Negative Approach,
Aural Exciters,
Steve Hackett,
Jeff Lynne,
Qualms,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Max Romeo,
Avey Tare,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Lakeside,
Duran Duran,
Todd Terry,
Excepter,
Aaron Thompson,
Deakin,
The Dirtbombs,
The Leaves,
Pharoah Sanders,
The Young Rascals,
Crispian St. Peters,
Magma,
The Birthday Party,
Circle Jerks,
Soft Machine,
Black Sheep,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Rotary Connection,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Marshall Jefferson,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Fugs,
Rosa Yemen,
Gang Starr,
Kas Product,
The Slits,
Bobby Sherman,
Index,
June of 44,
B.T. Express,
The Music Machine,
Ronan,
The Red Krayola,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Cymande,
The Doobie Brothers,
Traffic Nightmare,
Rites of Spring,
The Standells,
John Cale,
Lower 48,
Suburban Knight,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Icehouse,
Camouflage, Camouflage, Camouflage, Camouflage.
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.