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 Albania and from Philadelphia.
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 1962 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 clarinet 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 Section 25 to the punk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Black Bananas. All the underground hits.
All New York Dolls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Livin' Joy 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dead Boys record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lou Reed,
Barrington Levy,
T. Rex,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Sällskapet,
The Names,
Gang Green,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Faraquet,
The Smoke,
Terry Callier,
Television Personalities,
ABBA,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
the Bar-Kays,
Amazonics,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Radio Birdman,
Pantaleimon,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Cabaret Voltaire,
cv313,
Wally Richardson,
JFA,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Soul II Soul,
Sound Behaviour,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Vogues,
Boogie Down Productions,
Scan 7,
Model 500,
The Blackbyrds,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Chris & Cosey,
Moss Icon,
The Misunderstood,
Quadrant,
Scott Walker,
Wasted Youth,
Fela Kuti,
EPMD,
The Detroit Cobras,
ABC,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Chris Corsano,
Japan,
Echospace,
Cybotron,
John Lydon,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Prince Buster,
Outsiders,
Anthony Braxton,
Rod Modell,
Altered Images,
Davy DMX,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Darondo,
Joe Finger,
Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music.
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.