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 Sri Lanka and from Portland.
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 1963 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 It's A Beautiful Day to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Eden Ahbez. All the underground hits.
All Echospace tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rotary Connection record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a New York Dolls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Prince Buster,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Technova,
The Raincoats,
New Age Steppers,
Leonard Cohen,
Cheater Slicks,
Spandau Ballet,
Archie Shepp,
The Stooges,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Sam Rivers,
Sällskapet,
Crime,
Gang of Four,
Wasted Youth,
The Cowsills,
The Blackbyrds,
The Searchers,
Pussy Galore,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Bronski Beat,
Iggy Pop,
DJ Sneak,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Public Enemy,
Ronan,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Tears for Fears,
Drive Like Jehu,
Boz Scaggs,
Man Eating Sloth,
Brothers Johnson,
JFA,
June of 44,
Matthew Halsall,
Peter & Gordon,
Goldenarms,
Magazine,
The Moody Blues,
Urselle,
Cameo,
the Swans,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Young Rascals,
Liliput,
Moebius,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
John Foxx,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Roger Hodgson,
Stockholm Monsters,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Unrelated Segments,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Sparks,
Ultimate Spinach,
Camberwell Now,
Patti Smith,
Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid.
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.