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 Armenia and from Edmonton.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1967 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Kurtis Blow to the rock 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 Masters at Work. All the underground hits.
All The Vogues tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang on a Can All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 snare and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Machine record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Donny Hathaway,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Barclay James Harvest,
48th St. Collective,
Television Personalities,
Lalann,
Thee Headcoats,
Cal Tjader,
Cluster,
Rakim,
X-102,
Leonard Cohen,
Technova,
Kenny Larkin,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Alison Limerick,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Joe Smooth,
Johnny Osbourne,
UT,
Nico,
Scan 7,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Lucky Dragons,
Mr. Review,
John Cale,
Au Pairs,
The Black Dice,
Wasted Youth,
Pere Ubu,
Bush Tetras,
The Leaves,
Mission of Burma,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Star Department,
Absolute Body Control,
Quando Quango,
Flamin' Groovies,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Scion,
Rhythm & Sound,
China Crisis,
Gang of Four,
Ultimate Spinach,
Yazoo,
Camberwell Now,
Bobby Womack,
Curtis Mayfield,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Electric Prunes,
Amon Düül,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Nils Olav,
Scratch Acid,
Oblivians,
Thompson Twins,
Silicon Teens,
Zapp,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Make Up,
Wire,
Magma, Magma, Magma, Magma.
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.