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 Belarus and from Manchester.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme to the dance kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 LL Cool J. All the underground hits.
All Scion tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Eden Ahbez 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Roxette record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Livin' Joy,
JFA,
Loose Ends,
Henry Cow,
Young Marble Giants,
B.T. Express,
Patti Smith,
Ornette Coleman,
Nils Olav,
Delta 5,
Andrew Hill,
Kerrie Biddell,
Barry Ungar,
Fugazi,
Altered Images,
Index,
David McCallum,
Gregory Isaacs,
Wire,
The Velvet Underground,
The Kinks,
Drive Like Jehu,
Kevin Saunderson,
Electric Prunes,
Saccharine Trust,
The Evens,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Youth Brigade,
The Gladiators,
Goldenarms,
Yellowson,
Massinfluence,
The Pretty Things,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Arcadia,
The Invisible,
Derrick Morgan,
Grauzone,
Eric Dolphy,
Piero Umiliani,
Kurtis Blow,
David Axelrod,
Darondo,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Zeros,
Excepter,
Tres Demented,
Slick Rick,
New Age Steppers,
Mary Jane Girls,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Eve St. Jones,
X-102,
Ludus,
Duran Duran,
Outsiders,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Bobby Byrd,
The Doobie Brothers,
Lebanon Hanover, Lebanon Hanover, Lebanon Hanover, Lebanon Hanover.
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.