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 Lesotho and from Columbus.
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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Judy Mowatt to the punk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Roy Ayers Ubiquity. All the underground hits.
All 8 Eyed Spy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tim Buckley record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a It's A Beautiful Day record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pantaleimon,
Pharoah Sanders,
Eric Copeland,
Matthew Halsall,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
cv313,
Fat Boys,
D'Angelo,
The Gun Club,
Electric Prunes,
Adolescents,
The Monochrome Set,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Mary Jane Girls,
Sällskapet,
The Sonics,
The Fugs,
Popol Vuh,
The Skatalites,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Gichy Dan,
Niagra,
The Shadows of Knight,
Stockholm Monsters,
the Swans,
Jawbox,
Althea and Donna,
Grauzone,
Goldenarms,
Yellowson,
The Slackers,
Dark Day,
Scratch Acid,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Brand Nubian,
Kerri Chandler,
Jeru the Damaja,
Lower 48,
ABC,
Shoche,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Nik Kershaw,
Dawn Penn,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Icehouse,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Cameo,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Toasters,
Scion,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Bang On A Can,
Nick Fraelich,
Swans,
Qualms,
Gang of Four,
The Electric Prunes,
Kurtis Blow,
Chris Corsano,
Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front, Eddi Front.
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.