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 St Lucia and from Stockholm.
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 1965 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 arpeggiator 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 Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks to the punk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines. All the underground hits.
All Electric Prunes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Happenings record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 clarinet and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Cale,
Essential Logic,
Sandy B,
Lyres,
Oblivians,
The Pop Group,
Sixth Finger,
Tom Boy,
The Litter,
Technova,
Maurizio,
Terry Callier,
Khruangbin,
Gang Green,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
the Association,
Scan 7,
Eurythmics,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Circle Jerks,
Severed Heads,
Interpol,
Morten Harket,
Aloha Tigers,
Judy Mowatt,
LL Cool J,
Letta Mbulu,
Nils Olav,
U.S. Maple,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
the Germs,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Flash Fearless,
Amon Düül II,
The Grass Roots,
Skaos,
La Düsseldorf,
Thee Headcoats,
Howard Jones,
Country Teasers,
B.T. Express,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Television Personalities,
Gregory Isaacs,
Roy Ayers,
Heaven 17,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Nirvana,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
X-101,
Grandmaster Flash,
Rapeman,
Q and Not U,
Pet Shop Boys,
June of 44,
Shoche,
Dorothy Ashby,
DJ Style,
Juan Atkins,
Goldenarms,
Erasure, Erasure, Erasure, Erasure.
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.