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 Ireland and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Bobby Sherman to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Sonny Sharrock. All the underground hits.
All The Royal Family And The Poor tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Spandau Ballet record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 mellotron and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Sheep record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Livin' Joy,
Depeche Mode,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Jawbox,
Joy Division,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Aaron Thompson,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
The Fugs,
E-Dancer,
Khruangbin,
Donald Byrd,
New York Dolls,
Clear Light,
the Fania All-Stars,
Tomorrow,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
The Black Dice,
The Searchers,
The Divine Comedy,
Inner City,
The Real Kids,
Los Fastidios,
Television,
Robert Hood,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Rapeman,
Desert Stars,
Trumans Water,
Stiv Bators,
The Associates,
Lou Christie,
Charles Mingus,
Cameo,
Bang On A Can,
Sun City Girls,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Gerry Rafferty,
U.S. Maple,
Ultravox,
Thee Headcoats,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
the Normal,
Unwound,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Icehouse,
This Heat,
Yusef Lateef,
The United States of America,
Tom Boy,
Radio Birdman,
Popol Vuh,
Suburban Knight,
Fear,
The Gladiators,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Arcadia,
Gang Gang Dance,
Man Eating Sloth,
Pantytec, Pantytec, Pantytec, Pantytec.
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.