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 France and from Copenhagen.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 mellotron 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 Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Joyce Sims. All the underground hits.
All The Smiths tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Reed & Metallica 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Terry Callier record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ 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?
Gil Scott Heron,
Television,
Skarface,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Adolescents,
Cheater Slicks,
Bluetip,
Junior Murvin,
Q and Not U,
Laurel Aitken,
Amon Düül,
The Remains,
Audionom,
Donald Byrd,
The Index,
Kayak,
Sandy B,
Steve Hackett,
Arthur Verocai,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Tremeloes,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Gabor Szabo,
R.M.O.,
The Saints,
The Detroit Cobras,
Gichy Dan,
Make Up,
Suburban Knight,
Joe Smooth,
Gang Gang Dance,
Visage,
Soft Machine,
Lou Christie,
Monks,
Malaria!,
Peter & Gordon,
Hashim,
Ultra Naté,
Liliput,
Bobby Byrd,
48th St. Collective,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Bobby Womack,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Drive Like Jehu,
Siglo XX,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Todd Terry,
Faust,
Patti Smith,
The Associates,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Albert Ayler,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Electric Prunes,
Swell Maps,
Q65,
Cecil Taylor,
Simply Red,
the Fania All-Stars,
Man Parrish,
8 Eyed Spy,
Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill.
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.