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 Azerbaijan and from Houston.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Edmonton.
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 marimba 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 Eric Copeland to the jazz 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 N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell. All the underground hits.
All Pantaleimon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nik Kershaw record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Depeche Mode record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Patti Smith,
Moebius,
Hashim,
Harry Pussy,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Television,
Mad Mike,
Jacob Miller,
Moss Icon,
Donny Hathaway,
The United States of America,
The Fortunes,
World's Most,
Ponytail,
Man Eating Sloth,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Raincoats,
Sister Nancy,
Man Parrish,
Albert Ayler,
Bobby Womack,
Chrome,
Wire,
Radiohead,
Ten City,
Black Sheep,
Amon Düül II,
48th St. Collective,
The Standells,
The Cramps,
The Offenders,
Funkadelic,
Godley & Creme,
Sound Behaviour,
LL Cool J,
Chris & Cosey,
E-Dancer,
Reagan Youth,
Los Fastidios,
Malaria!,
Roger Hodgson,
Robert Görl,
Crooked Eye,
MC5,
Jeff Mills,
cv313,
Darondo,
Hardrive,
Ultravox,
Grey Daturas,
Terry Callier,
Danielle Patucci,
Masters at Work,
the Germs,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Happenings,
The Electric Prunes,
Jawbox,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Youth Brigade,
Mo-Dettes,
Maleditus Sound, Maleditus Sound, Maleditus Sound, Maleditus Sound.
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.