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 Dominican Republic and from Manchester.
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 1967 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 The Monks to the funk 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 Fifty Foot Hose. All the underground hits.
All Audionom tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Last Poets record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 808 and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeru the Damaja record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Sonics,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
FM Einheit,
Maleditus Sound,
Babytalk,
Hoover,
Joey Negro,
The Mojo Men,
Peter and Kerry,
The Slits,
The Happenings,
The Birthday Party,
Joe Finger,
Donald Byrd,
Tommy Roe,
Average White Band,
Nas,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Schoolly D,
Cecil Taylor,
Todd Rundgren,
Fluxion,
Black Moon,
John Cale,
Colin Newman,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Rod Modell,
Neil Young,
The Zeros,
Organ,
Symarip,
Nils Olav,
Aloha Tigers,
Brass Construction,
Pere Ubu,
Agent Orange,
Public Image Ltd.,
a-ha,
Eric Copeland,
The Barracudas,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Minutemen,
Brand Nubian,
Marmalade,
Lalann,
Bootsy Collins,
Joe Smooth,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Severed Heads,
The New Christs,
The Monochrome Set,
Ronan,
The Remains,
Amazonics,
Livin' Joy,
Banda Bassotti,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Scion,
Bobby Byrd,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens.
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.