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 Albania and from Delhi.
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 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Janne Schatter to the grunge 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 Iggy Pop. All the underground hits.
All Trumans Water tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Strawberry Alarm Clock record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 snare and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Black Sheep record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Albert Ayler,
The Evens,
Nas,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Names,
LL Cool J,
Sam Rivers,
The Moody Blues,
Yellowson,
Saccharine Trust,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Siglo XX,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Graham Central Station,
Jacob Miller,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Infiniti,
Gichy Dan,
Maleditus Sound,
Darondo,
Gang of Four,
The Fire Engines,
Aloha Tigers,
MC5,
Ultravox,
the Germs,
Cecil Taylor,
Spandau Ballet,
The Buckinghams,
Gil Scott Heron,
Main Source,
Lou Christie,
Yusef Lateef,
Alton Ellis,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Eddi Front,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Bobby Womack,
Man Eating Sloth,
Rhythm & Sound,
Skarface,
Quando Quango,
The Standells,
Mark Hollis,
The Monks,
Pulsallama,
Aaron Thompson,
Tropical Tobacco,
Lee Hazlewood,
The J.B.'s,
Cheater Slicks,
Shuggie Otis,
Erykah Badu,
Cymande,
Ituana,
Scott Walker, Scott Walker, Scott Walker, Scott Walker.
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.