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 Yemen 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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Tehran.
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 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 Captain Beefheart 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 De La Soul & Jungle Brothers to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Simply Red. All the underground hits.
All The Count Five tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Angels of Light 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Neil Young record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Peter and Kerry,
UT,
Alison Limerick,
The Leaves,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Red Krayola,
David McCallum,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Evens,
Tres Demented,
Dead Boys,
The Last Poets,
Soul Sonic Force,
Dawn Penn,
Deakin,
Soft Cell,
Amon Düül II,
Joensuu 1685,
Pharoah Sanders,
David Bowie,
The Cramps,
Panda Bear,
the Sonics,
Bad Manners,
Chrome,
the Association,
Althea and Donna,
Mary Jane Girls,
Can,
Lyres,
Fear,
Radiohead,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Sexual Harrassment,
Archie Shepp,
Masters at Work,
Roy Ayers,
Marshall Jefferson,
Severed Heads,
10cc,
Stereo Dub,
T. Rex,
Quantec,
Inner City,
The Durutti Column,
Minutemen,
Lalo Schifrin,
kango's stein massive,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Prince Buster,
Smog,
Yaz,
The Vogues,
Josef K,
Gang Gang Dance,
Tom Boy,
Joe Finger,
Moss Icon,
The United States of America,
Janne Schatter,
Tears for Fears,
Audionom,
Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen.
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.