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 St Lucia and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Rakim to the rap kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Joe Smooth. All the underground hits.
All Urselle tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Avey Tare 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Modern Lovers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jawbox,
Alice Coltrane,
DJ Style,
Crime,
Ponytail,
Gichy Dan,
UT,
Lebanon Hanover,
Nils Olav,
Fela Kuti,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Birthday Party,
Mission of Burma,
Black Moon,
Boogie Down Productions,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Kas Product,
Duran Duran,
Los Fastidios,
Pylon,
The Invisible,
Ten City,
Accadde A,
OOIOO,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Five Americans,
The Doors,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Soul II Soul,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Erykah Badu,
Byron Stingily,
Jandek,
The Fugs,
Clear Light,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Mantronix,
World's Most,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Bobby Hutcherson,
the Bar-Kays,
Soft Cell,
Blake Baxter,
Peter and Kerry,
Bill Wells,
Barbara Tucker,
Mo-Dettes,
Eric B and Rakim,
Camouflage,
Bang On A Can,
the Slits,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Niagra,
Young Marble Giants,
The Busters,
Subhumans, Subhumans, Subhumans, Subhumans.
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.