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 Ivory Coast and from Tehran.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 mellotron 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 Gil Scott Heron to the rap kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 X-101. All the underground hits.
All Derrick Morgan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Brass Construction 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Parry Music record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tropical Tobacco,
Matthew Bourne,
Davy DMX,
Warren Ellis,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Black Flag,
Archie Shepp,
Tommy Roe,
U.S. Maple,
Swell Maps,
Gabor Szabo,
Quantec,
X-102,
the Slits,
Robert Wyatt,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Stockholm Monsters,
Los Fastidios,
Rapeman,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Main Source,
The J.B.'s,
Moby Grape,
Sällskapet,
Ludus,
Tom Boy,
Byron Stingily,
KRS-One,
Lebanon Hanover,
Agent Orange,
Half Japanese,
The Alarm Clocks,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Second Layer,
Iggy Pop,
Brand Nubian,
Ten City,
Morten Harket,
Tears for Fears,
A Certain Ratio,
Terry Callier,
Aaron Thompson,
Lee Hazlewood,
Lyres,
Skaos,
Easy Going,
Janne Schatter,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Suburban Knight,
Eric B and Rakim,
Black Sheep,
Soul Sonic Force,
The New Christs,
Eden Ahbez,
Flipper,
Nirvana,
Jimmy McGriff,
Todd Terry,
The Fire Engines,
Bizarre Inc.,
8 Eyed Spy,
Be Bop Deluxe,
The Slits,
Saccharine Trust, Saccharine Trust, Saccharine Trust, Saccharine Trust.
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.