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 Ethiopia and from Johannesburg.
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 1964 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 New Order to the funk 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 New York Dolls. All the underground hits.
All The Divine Comedy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marmalade 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mission of Burma record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer 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?
Maleditus Sound,
Pantytec,
Fugazi,
Traffic Nightmare,
Bush Tetras,
Cymande,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Divine Comedy,
The Golliwogs,
The Doors,
Agitation Free,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Cure,
Judy Mowatt,
Crispian St. Peters,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Junior Murvin,
Colin Newman,
Robert Wyatt,
The Motions,
Adolescents,
The Red Krayola,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Ultimate Spinach,
the Swans,
Bobby Byrd,
Roxy Music,
T.S.O.L.,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Quantec,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Mad Mike,
Second Layer,
Oblivians,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Subhumans,
Howard Jones,
The Fugs,
the Human League,
Big Daddy Kane,
Nils Olav,
Severed Heads,
Mandrill,
Crime,
Wings,
The Beau Brummels,
June of 44,
Black Pus,
The Moleskins,
Goldenarms,
Essential Logic,
Sandy B,
KRS-One,
The American Breed,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Trojans,
Pylon, Pylon, Pylon, Pylon.
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.