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 Maldives and from Portland.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 mellotron 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 Monochrome Set to the grunge 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 Minny Pops. All the underground hits.
All ABBA tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Man Parrish record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Drive Like Jehu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Doors,
10cc,
The Moleskins,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Rites of Spring,
Severed Heads,
Pagans,
Harry Pussy,
The Selecter,
Eden Ahbez,
KRS-One,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Grey Daturas,
Pierre Henry,
Gastr Del Sol,
Tropical Tobacco,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Los Fastidios,
Mars,
Metal Thangz,
Ronan,
Jandek,
Eddi Front,
the Sonics,
Zero Boys,
Sex Pistols,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Altered Images,
Gang Starr,
Basic Channel,
Saccharine Trust,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Guru Guru,
The Cure,
Jawbox,
Nas,
The Raincoats,
Ludus,
Sonic Youth,
Yusef Lateef,
Massinfluence,
Kerrie Biddell,
Boz Scaggs,
Sarah Menescal,
the Fania All-Stars,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
The Move,
Pulsallama,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Unwound,
Gang Green,
The Invisible,
Pharoah Sanders,
Barry Ungar,
The Vogues,
Nils Olav,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Drexciya,
B.T. Express,
New York Dolls,
Niagra,
JFA, JFA, JFA, JFA.
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.