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 Guyana and from Jakarta.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 1968 at the first Can practice in a loft in Cologne.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel to the jazz kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Simply Red. All the underground hits.
All China Crisis tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bobby Hutcherson record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 an organ and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Public Image Ltd. record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Mojo Men,
Jandek,
Au Pairs,
The Cure,
Gabor Szabo,
The Pop Group,
Arab on Radar,
The Alarm Clocks,
Patti Smith,
Swans,
Blake Baxter,
Zapp,
T. Rex,
Q65,
The Dead C,
The Techniques,
Aural Exciters,
Metal Thangz,
Black Bananas,
The Barracudas,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Tres Demented,
The Tremeloes,
Grey Daturas,
Country Teasers,
X-101,
Sunsets and Hearts,
X-Ray Spex,
Quadrant,
Tears for Fears,
Scientists,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Skriet,
Ken Boothe,
The Wake,
The Dirtbombs,
Moebius,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Television,
Harpers Bizarre,
Von Mondo,
Black Moon,
Bronski Beat,
Bobby Womack,
Yazoo,
Second Layer,
Pierre Henry,
Harry Pussy,
Fela Kuti,
Make Up,
Oneida,
the Association,
Sexual Harrassment,
Rekid,
Skarface,
Donald Byrd,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Tomorrow,
Sparks,
Tubeway Army,
Gregory Isaacs, Gregory Isaacs, Gregory Isaacs, Gregory Isaacs.
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.