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 Lebanon and from Mumbai.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the organ 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 Rosa Yemen to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Alphaville. All the underground hits.
All Delon & Dalcan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Association record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Fire Engines,
These Immortal Souls,
The Evens,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Johnny Osbourne,
Arthur Verocai,
Soulsonic Force,
Anthony Braxton,
Toni Rubio,
Brass Construction,
Howard Jones,
Fela Kuti,
AZ,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Blues Magoos,
Bobby Sherman,
Inner City,
The Neon Judgement,
Pagans,
Cymande,
Masters at Work,
Pulsallama,
Public Image Ltd.,
Gang Starr,
Yellowson,
Jeru the Damaja,
Ultra Naté,
X-102,
Crispy Ambulance,
Gabor Szabo,
The Slits,
The Stooges,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Au Pairs,
Sixth Finger,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Brothers Johnson,
Godley & Creme,
Rekid,
The Mojo Men,
Grandmaster Flash,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Heaven 17,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
New Age Steppers,
Eve St. Jones,
Marvin Gaye,
Fugazi,
The Five Americans,
Sun City Girls,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Amon Düül II,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Pop Group,
La Düsseldorf,
Lebanon Hanover,
Moebius,
The Slackers,
Vainqueur,
David Axelrod,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Gladiators,
Deepchord, Deepchord, Deepchord, Deepchord.
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.