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 Monaco and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 chamberlin 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 Rufus Thomas to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Make Up. All the underground hits.
All Fear tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sugar Minott record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Freddie Wadling record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fad Gadget,
Spandau Ballet,
Inner City,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Oblivians,
Severed Heads,
Deadbeat,
The Misunderstood,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Skatalites,
Kenny Larkin,
Angry Samoans,
La Düsseldorf,
The American Breed,
Los Fastidios,
Tres Demented,
Sparks,
The Barracudas,
Scratch Acid,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Technova,
Johnny Clarke,
Soul II Soul,
Arthur Verocai,
Youth Brigade,
Cameo,
June Days,
Clear Light,
Chris Corsano,
Public Enemy,
Grey Daturas,
Ultravox,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Popol Vuh,
Jandek,
Girls At Our Best!,
Davy DMX,
Trumans Water,
The Remains,
Neu!,
K-Klass,
Judy Mowatt,
Terrestrial Tones,
Crime,
Marshall Jefferson,
The Moody Blues,
Donny Hathaway,
Frankie Knuckles,
Electric Prunes,
Nik Kershaw,
Hot Snakes,
Arcadia,
Crispian St. Peters,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Second Layer,
Wally Richardson,
Animal Collective,
Mo-Dettes,
Rotary Connection,
The Leaves,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Agent Orange,
Quadrant, Quadrant, Quadrant, Quadrant.
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.