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 Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Madrid.
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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Wings to the techno kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Pet Shop Boys. All the underground hits.
All The Seeds tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oneida record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Smiths,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Wolf Eyes,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Parry Music,
Fatback Band,
Pylon,
Urselle,
The Associates,
The Invisible,
Spandau Ballet,
Thompson Twins,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Vogues,
The Flesh Eaters,
Minny Pops,
Bronski Beat,
T. Rex,
Robert Görl,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Piero Umiliani,
These Immortal Souls,
The Five Americans,
The Dave Clark Five,
Sixth Finger,
Simply Red,
Bad Manners,
The Divine Comedy,
Ossler,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Niagra,
Colin Newman,
Roxette,
Barry Ungar,
Terry Callier,
Kerrie Biddell,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
the Sonics,
Brothers Johnson,
Glenn Branca,
Derrick May,
Basic Channel,
Electric Prunes,
Eric Copeland,
The Cowsills,
Theoretical Girls,
Steve Hackett,
The Dead C,
Little Man,
Oneida,
Donald Byrd,
Eric Dolphy,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Aural Exciters,
John Holt,
The Gories,
Swans,
Zapp,
The Electric Prunes,
Joyce Sims,
Camouflage, Camouflage, Camouflage, Camouflage.
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.