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 Bangladesh and from Seoul.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1975 at the first Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the güiro 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 Barbara Tucker to the techno 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 Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog. All the underground hits.
All Quantec tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang on a Can All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 mellotron and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pharoah Sanders record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Magazine,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
the Sonics,
The Sound,
Malaria!,
Sparks,
Susan Cadogan,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Letta Mbulu,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Slackers,
Amon Düül II,
The Mummies,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Grauzone,
Subhumans,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Tremeloes,
Liliput,
Camberwell Now,
The Evens,
Franke,
Bill Near,
Camouflage,
The Alarm Clocks,
Gang Green,
David Bowie,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Black Pus,
The Moody Blues,
Guru Guru,
Schoolly D,
Loose Ends,
Con Funk Shun,
Morten Harket,
Infiniti,
Swans,
The Music Machine,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Surgeon,
Saccharine Trust,
Roxy Music,
Tommy Roe,
Radiohead,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Golliwogs,
Scientists,
Wings,
Eddi Front,
Ultra Naté,
Outsiders,
Technova,
The Martian,
Gang of Four,
Sister Nancy,
the Germs,
Masters at Work,
Agitation Free,
Patti Smith,
Nick Fraelich,
Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma.
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.