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 Angola and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 Tom Verlaine 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 crunk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 H. Thieme. All the underground hits.
All The Red Krayola 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 funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Angels of Light & Akron/Family record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gichy Dan,
Gil Scott Heron,
Rufus Thomas,
Trumans Water,
Public Image Ltd.,
Ten City,
the Association,
Mad Mike,
John Lydon,
The Names,
the Slits,
Bronski Beat,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Cheater Slicks,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Minnie Riperton,
Scratch Acid,
Jeff Lynne,
Joensuu 1685,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Fad Gadget,
Max Romeo,
Oneida,
The Monochrome Set,
Oblivians,
Lindisfarne,
The Shadows of Knight,
Albert Ayler,
The Modern Lovers,
Nico,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Searchers,
Jerry Gold Smith,
CMW,
The Happenings,
Gerry Rafferty,
Jesper Dahlback,
DJ Style,
Minutemen,
Marine Girls,
Erasure,
Man Eating Sloth,
Gang of Four,
The Detroit Cobras,
Popol Vuh,
The Slackers,
Agent Orange,
Radiopuhelimet,
Matthew Bourne,
The Birthday Party,
Curtis Mayfield,
The Zeros,
Sam Rivers,
Radiohead,
Inner City,
Charles Mingus,
Michelle Simonal,
Peter and Kerry,
Kayak,
Talk Talk,
Danielle Patucci,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Glambeats Corp.,
Newcleus, Newcleus, Newcleus, Newcleus.
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.