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 Cambodia and from Philadelphia.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 Michael McDonald 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 Ash Ra Tempel to the rock kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 the Slits. All the underground hits.
All Dawn Penn tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Circle Jerks 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Reuben Wilson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
David Axelrod,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
David Bowie,
the Soft Cell,
The Golliwogs,
Alison Limerick,
Terry Callier,
K-Klass,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Monochrome Set,
Q and Not U,
Avey Tare,
The Slackers,
the Slits,
Bob Dylan,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Absolute Body Control,
These Immortal Souls,
Make Up,
Tommy Roe,
Johnny Osbourne,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Popol Vuh,
Ronan,
Television Personalities,
Wolf Eyes,
Au Pairs,
Shuggie Otis,
LL Cool J,
The Barracudas,
Connie Case,
Josef K,
Skarface,
The Electric Prunes,
Blossom Toes,
Grey Daturas,
Neu!,
The Gap Band,
Barclay James Harvest,
Deepchord,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Gastr Del Sol,
Marvin Gaye,
MC5,
Junior Murvin,
Bizarre Inc.,
Black Bananas,
Kas Product,
Joey Negro,
Scratch Acid,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Leaves,
Aaron Thompson,
Loose Ends,
The Durutti Column,
Pantaleimon,
Alice Coltrane,
La Düsseldorf,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Dual Sessions,
The Mojo Men,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Freddie Wadling,
Suicide, Suicide, Suicide, Suicide.
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.