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 Antigua and from New York.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Country Joe & The Fish to the disco 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 Zapp. All the underground hits.
All The Slits tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Leonard Cohen record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tom Boy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The American Breed,
The Barracudas,
The Kinks,
Juan Atkins,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Arthur Verocai,
Gong,
Connie Case,
Radiohead,
World's Most,
Animal Collective,
Aaron Thompson,
Zapp,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
China Crisis,
Panda Bear,
Tres Demented,
Anthony Braxton,
Camberwell Now,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Sonic Youth,
Deepchord,
Chris Corsano,
Absolute Body Control,
Rhythm & Sound,
Colin Newman,
Unwound,
Todd Rundgren,
the Association,
The Golliwogs,
The Angels of Light,
Faraquet,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Kerri Chandler,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Agent Orange,
Rosa Yemen,
Cecil Taylor,
Amazonics,
Babytalk,
Rufus Thomas,
Eric Dolphy,
The Gun Club,
Joyce Sims,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Faust,
Idris Muhammad,
Joy Division,
Sister Nancy,
Carl Craig,
Masters at Work,
Sixth Finger,
8 Eyed Spy,
D'Angelo,
The Five Americans,
The Martian,
Sällskapet,
Thompson Twins,
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.