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 Uruguay and from Mexico City.
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 1969 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 jazz kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Ponytail. All the underground hits.
All Scientists tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gichy Dan 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Avey Tare record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Steve Hackett,
Lightning Bolt,
Bill Wells,
Kaleidoscope,
Spandau Ballet,
Babytalk,
Traffic Nightmare,
Q and Not U,
Blancmange,
Stockholm Monsters,
Deepchord,
The Dirtbombs,
Carl Craig,
Trumans Water,
Pantytec,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Busters,
Tubeway Army,
Japan,
a-ha,
Young Marble Giants,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Tremeloes,
Scion,
Cal Tjader,
Lower 48,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Guru Guru,
Crispian St. Peters,
Janne Schatter,
Stereo Dub,
Ultra Naté,
Dave Gahan,
Harpers Bizarre,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Tomorrow,
Qualms,
the Sonics,
Cecil Taylor,
The United States of America,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Black Dice,
Scrapy,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Pierre Henry,
Freddie Wadling,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Electric Prunes,
Dennis Brown,
Rod Modell,
Barrington Levy,
Charles Mingus,
Wire,
Nico,
Oblivians,
Accadde A,
Lebanon Hanover,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Joensuu 1685,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Newcleus,
Mad Mike, Mad Mike, Mad Mike, Mad Mike.
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.