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 Gabon and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1961 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 Bobby Byrd to the funk 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 Scrapy. All the underground hits.
All Subhumans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Can record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Yaz record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Tom Boy,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Schoolly D,
a-ha,
Susan Cadogan,
The United States of America,
Negative Approach,
Agitation Free,
The Move,
Simply Red,
Traffic Nightmare,
Kenny Larkin,
Althea and Donna,
Quantec,
Iggy Pop,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Porter Ricks,
Fluxion,
Girls At Our Best!,
ABC,
the Sonics,
Cecil Taylor,
Slick Rick,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Loose Ends,
Pagans,
Sister Nancy,
Erykah Badu,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Scientists,
The Gladiators,
The J.B.'s,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Fuzztones,
The Dave Clark Five,
Fela Kuti,
This Heat,
Tears for Fears,
Model 500,
Sun City Girls,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Essential Logic,
Scrapy,
Trumans Water,
The Fall,
The Associates,
Youth Brigade,
Bluetip,
Roxy Music,
The Invisible,
The Raincoats,
Joey Negro,
Public Enemy,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Drive Like Jehu,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Gang of Four,
The Shadows of Knight,
Throbbing Gristle,
John Holt, John Holt, John Holt, John Holt.
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.