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 the UAE and from Milan.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1962 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 linndrum 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 Harry Pussy to the rock kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Dead Boys. All the underground hits.
All The Zeros tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The American Breed 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 '70s.
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 Theoretical Girls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Dorothy Ashby,
the Soft Cell,
Sparks,
Blancmange,
Avey Tare,
Radio Birdman,
The Sound,
Ice-T,
Spandau Ballet,
The Blues Magoos,
Angry Samoans,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Cecil Taylor,
Max Romeo,
Pantytec,
The Trojans,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Symarip,
Yazoo,
David Bowie,
Fugazi,
Jandek,
June Days,
Los Fastidios,
Babytalk,
The Fire Engines,
Kaleidoscope,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
K-Klass,
Lalann,
Zapp,
Ronan,
Bizarre Inc.,
Peter & Gordon,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Leonard Cohen,
Rakim,
Yaz,
Lebanon Hanover,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Sexual Harrassment,
Organ,
Flipper,
Junior Murvin,
Rapeman,
Pussy Galore,
Faraquet,
The Real Kids,
The Fuzztones,
Reuben Wilson,
Sonic Youth,
Davy DMX,
Inner City,
Chrome,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Dawn Penn,
Quadrant,
DJ Sneak,
Nils Olav,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
John Cale, John Cale, John Cale, John Cale.
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.