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 Guyana 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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Woodstock.
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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Babytalk to the funk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Maurizio. All the underground hits.
All David Bowie tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Simply Red record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Popol Vuh record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Kaleidoscope,
Judy Mowatt,
U.S. Maple,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Gang Gang Dance,
Neil Young,
Zero Boys,
The Move,
Mr. Review,
Black Flag,
Tom Boy,
Erykah Badu,
Silicon Teens,
The Gories,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Leaves,
Camberwell Now,
Rod Modell,
Subhumans,
Excepter,
10cc,
The American Breed,
Leonard Cohen,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Siglo XX,
Bobby Womack,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Ultimate Spinach,
Soul II Soul,
Shuggie Otis,
Rekid,
Wolf Eyes,
Eve St. Jones,
Harpers Bizarre,
Lebanon Hanover,
Man Eating Sloth,
John Foxx,
Outsiders,
The Star Department,
Duran Duran,
Vainqueur,
Throbbing Gristle,
The United States of America,
Eden Ahbez,
Glambeats Corp.,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lalann,
Grauzone,
James White and The Blacks,
Godley & Creme,
Chris Corsano,
Davy DMX,
Alison Limerick,
Flash Fearless,
Cluster,
Pierre Henry,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Fuzztones,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Section 25,
Bronski Beat,
Blancmange, Blancmange, Blancmange, Blancmange.
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.