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 Burkina and from Shanghai.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Sonny Sharrock to the crunk 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 Boredoms. All the underground hits.
All The Divine Comedy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every cv313 record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cabaret Voltaire record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator 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?
Boz Scaggs,
The Searchers,
The Barracudas,
Ken Boothe,
Lightning Bolt,
Simply Red,
Technova,
MDC,
The United States of America,
The Electric Prunes,
Mad Mike,
Kas Product,
Sonic Youth,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Nas,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Shoche,
Stiv Bators,
Minnie Riperton,
The Selecter,
Drexciya,
Hoover,
Suicide,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Associates,
Fela Kuti,
Brass Construction,
Los Fastidios,
The Young Rascals,
Khruangbin,
The Smoke,
Kayak,
Drive Like Jehu,
Neil Young,
The Saints,
The Gap Band,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Grey Daturas,
Ituana,
Scientists,
the Normal,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Isaac Hayes,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Minny Pops,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Lalo Schifrin,
Spoonie Gee,
Tim Buckley,
Visage,
Tommy Roe,
Television Personalities,
Marine Girls,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Absolute Body Control,
Janne Schatter,
Prince Buster,
John Cale,
Bob Dylan,
Sixth Finger,
The Standells, The Standells, The Standells, The Standells.
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.