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 El Salvador and from Houston.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the clarinet 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 cv313 to the dance kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Amon Düül. All the underground hits.
All Juan Atkins tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bootsy Collins record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a X-Ray Spex record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The J.B.'s,
Dawn Penn,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Busters,
Crispian St. Peters,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Jacob Miller,
The Index,
Sparks,
Bob Dylan,
Sam Rivers,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Trojans,
Echospace,
Royal Trux,
Kurtis Blow,
Camouflage,
Jeru the Damaja,
Leonard Cohen,
LL Cool J,
Nico,
Con Funk Shun,
Slave,
Man Parrish,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Absolute Body Control,
Bluetip,
Terrestrial Tones,
Cecil Taylor,
Nils Olav,
David Bowie,
The Moleskins,
Ornette Coleman,
Half Japanese,
Ludus,
A Certain Ratio,
Basic Channel,
Alphaville,
ABBA,
Parry Music,
Mary Jane Girls,
Black Flag,
Eden Ahbez,
Excepter,
Black Pus,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Roger Hodgson,
Lou Reed,
the Human League,
Blossom Toes,
Liliput,
Crash Course in Science,
Isaac Hayes,
Faust,
Mad Mike,
China Crisis,
Slick Rick,
The Modern Lovers,
The Golliwogs, The Golliwogs, The Golliwogs, The Golliwogs.
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.