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 Nicaragua and from Accra.
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 1964 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Young Rascals to the grunge 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 Crash Course in Science. All the underground hits.
All Pagans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Crime 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jandek record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Martian,
Kurtis Blow,
Supertramp,
The Litter,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Last Poets,
Sixth Finger,
The Searchers,
Laurel Aitken,
Curtis Mayfield,
Archie Shepp,
The Count Five,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Sisters of Mercy,
The Angels of Light,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Audionom,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Roxette,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Pet Shop Boys,
Icehouse,
The Fortunes,
Drexciya,
Electric Prunes,
Amon Düül II,
Bush Tetras,
R.M.O.,
Hot Snakes,
Idris Muhammad,
Skaos,
Barbara Tucker,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Kerri Chandler,
Soul Sonic Force,
John Lydon,
The New Christs,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Hoover,
Suicide,
Flipper,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Brothers Johnson,
Man Parrish,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Darondo,
Joensuu 1685,
MDC,
The Human League,
New York Dolls,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Rotary Connection,
The Associates,
Fela Kuti,
Oneida,
Excepter,
Gerry Rafferty,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Dave Gahan,
Moby Grape,
Avey Tare, Avey Tare, Avey Tare, Avey Tare.
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.