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 Libya and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 808 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 The Neon Judgement to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Siglo XX. All the underground hits.
All Sad Lovers and Giants tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Cymande record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Aaron Thompson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Offenders,
The Modern Lovers,
the Slits,
Graham Central Station,
Ultra Naté,
Lyres,
The Walker Brothers,
China Crisis,
Eurythmics,
Flamin' Groovies,
Moss Icon,
Second Layer,
The Wake,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Jandek,
Cymande,
The Fugs,
Quantec,
New York Dolls,
Arcadia,
The Cosmic Jokers,
8 Eyed Spy,
The Names,
Todd Rundgren,
Davy DMX,
Andrew Hill,
Cecil Taylor,
The Vogues,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Happenings,
Donald Byrd,
Aaron Thompson,
One Last Wish,
The Red Krayola,
Intrusion,
Magma,
Moby Grape,
The Selecter,
Lalann,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Buckinghams,
Symarip,
Black Moon,
Sam Rivers,
Public Image Ltd.,
Animal Collective,
Nick Fraelich,
the Fania All-Stars,
Niagra,
Jeff Lynne,
Motorama,
Vladislav Delay,
The Gun Club,
Al Stewart,
U.S. Maple,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Young Marble Giants,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Derrick May,
The Fall, The Fall, The Fall, The Fall.
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.