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 Bhutan and from Bologna.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1962 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 Captain Beefheart 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 Grey Daturas to the rap kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Morten Harket. All the underground hits.
All The Searchers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lalann 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ohio Players record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jeru the Damaja,
Pet Shop Boys,
Peter and Kerry,
In Retrospect,
X-Ray Spex,
Ronan,
Maleditus Sound,
Tommy Roe,
Crime,
June Days,
Siglo XX,
Jacques Brel,
The Invisible,
Goldenarms,
Quadrant,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Albert Ayler,
Roxette,
The Doobie Brothers,
James White and The Blacks,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Rakim,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Audionom,
Bobby Womack,
Easy Going,
Gregory Isaacs,
Suburban Knight,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Junior Murvin,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Juan Atkins,
Barry Ungar,
Neu!,
Swans,
Ossler,
Sandy B,
Mad Mike,
The Gladiators,
Johnny Clarke,
The Remains,
Cameo,
David McCallum,
The Seeds,
Barrington Levy,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Ornette Coleman,
Second Layer,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Unwound,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Scan 7,
Sarah Menescal,
Matthew Bourne,
Rufus Thomas,
Flamin' Groovies,
MDC,
Gil Scott Heron, Gil Scott Heron, Gil Scott Heron, Gil Scott Heron.
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.