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 Comoros and from Edmonton.
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 1964 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Jimmy McGriff to the punk 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 Main Source. All the underground hits.
All Nick Fraelich tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Japan record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Golliwogs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Human League,
Alton Ellis,
Heaven 17,
Camberwell Now,
The Golliwogs,
The Young Rascals,
Aural Exciters,
Spandau Ballet,
The Misunderstood,
John Coltrane,
Lyres,
Drive Like Jehu,
Television,
Symarip,
the Bar-Kays,
Isaac Hayes,
Ken Boothe,
Harpers Bizarre,
Youth Brigade,
Stetsasonic,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Flamin' Groovies,
Aloha Tigers,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Drexciya,
Radiohead,
Deakin,
Sparks,
Y Pants,
The Divine Comedy,
The Velvet Underground,
Brothers Johnson,
Royal Trux,
The Fall,
Joey Negro,
Pantaleimon,
Nico,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The United States of America,
Jeff Lynne,
Yusef Lateef,
Radio Birdman,
DJ Sneak,
Vainqueur,
Loose Ends,
A Certain Ratio,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Hardrive,
Arthur Verocai,
The Detroit Cobras,
The Durutti Column,
Blancmange,
The Slackers,
Arab on Radar,
Derrick Morgan,
Deepchord,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Barbara Tucker,
Reuben Wilson,
Darondo,
Eurythmics, Eurythmics, Eurythmics, Eurythmics.
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.