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 Benin and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 chamberlin 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 Soft Cell to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Crispian St. Peters. All the underground hits.
All Laurel Aitken tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every CMW 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a John Cale record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sparks,
Donald Byrd,
Reagan Youth,
Gang of Four,
Alphaville,
The Remains,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Jandek,
Gichy Dan,
Khruangbin,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Neon Judgement,
The Invisible,
Barclay James Harvest,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Divine Comedy,
Camberwell Now,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Robert Wyatt,
Soul II Soul,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Sugar Minott,
Terry Callier,
Con Funk Shun,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Quadrant,
Mars,
David Axelrod,
Newcleus,
Pole,
New Age Steppers,
Loose Ends,
Black Moon,
Swans,
MC5,
Sexual Harrassment,
Johnny Clarke,
Alton Ellis,
Dorothy Ashby,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Accadde A,
John Holt,
Roger Hodgson,
Das Ding,
Bauhaus,
Jawbox,
The Velvet Underground,
The Beau Brummels,
the Association,
The Angels of Light,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Pet Shop Boys,
U.S. Maple,
June of 44,
The Dave Clark Five,
Motorama,
Rod Modell,
Supertramp,
Ronnie Foster,
Don Cherry,
Lungfish,
Index, Index, Index, Index.
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.