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 Costa Rica and from Lyon.
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 1962 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Arthur Verocai to the punk 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 The Cramps. All the underground hits.
All Outsiders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Unwound record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 a 808 and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Eden Ahbez record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Leonard Cohen,
Jimmy McGriff,
Ponytail,
Rod Modell,
Royal Trux,
The Count Five,
The Mummies,
Inner City,
Fat Boys,
T. Rex,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Scratch Acid,
Guru Guru,
Youth Brigade,
the Association,
Anakelly,
Mantronix,
Lyres,
Talk Talk,
Von Mondo,
Black Sheep,
Black Flag,
Stiv Bators,
The Star Department,
Kas Product,
Zapp,
Boredoms,
Camouflage,
B.T. Express,
The Wake,
Dorothy Ashby,
Cheater Slicks,
Wolf Eyes,
Japan,
Delon & Dalcan,
the Bar-Kays,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Kinks,
The Motions,
Joensuu 1685,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Model 500,
F. McDonald,
Mad Mike,
June of 44,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Joe Smooth,
Lebanon Hanover,
Circle Jerks,
Byron Stingily,
The Fortunes,
Al Stewart,
Albert Ayler,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Massinfluence,
Stetsasonic,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Joey Negro,
The Detroit Cobras,
FM Einheit, FM Einheit, FM Einheit, FM Einheit.
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.