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 China and from New York.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Tokyo.
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 1968 at the first Can practice in a loft in Cologne.
I was working on the oboe 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 John Lydon to the rock kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. All the underground hits.
All Pagans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Beasts of Bourbon record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 theremin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Warren Ellis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Tres Demented,
Todd Terry,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Birthday Party,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Tears for Fears,
Electric Light Orchestra,
John Holt,
Pharoah Sanders,
Amon Düül,
Man Parrish,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Jeru the Damaja,
Bootsy Collins,
Ituana,
The Star Department,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Simply Red,
Wasted Youth,
Desert Stars,
Connie Case,
Tommy Roe,
Yusef Lateef,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
a-ha,
FM Einheit,
Drive Like Jehu,
the Slits,
Procol Harum,
DJ Style,
ABC,
Carl Craig,
Das Ding,
The Motions,
Monks,
Bill Near,
Arthur Verocai,
Cal Tjader,
The Fortunes,
Popol Vuh,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Smoke,
Saccharine Trust,
Glambeats Corp.,
Moby Grape,
Shuggie Otis,
John Foxx,
Camouflage,
Flash Fearless,
Excepter,
Soft Machine,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Josef K,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Smiths,
Susan Cadogan,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Beau Brummels,
Alison Limerick,
China Crisis, China Crisis, China Crisis, China Crisis.
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.