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 Maldives and from Lagos.
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 1963 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Letta Mbulu to the techno kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Monks. All the underground hits.
All The Standells tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Peter and Kerry record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 synthesizer and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Heaven 17 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bob Dylan,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Black Flag,
Hoover,
Soul II Soul,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Quando Quango,
Tears for Fears,
Monks,
Swell Maps,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Moebius,
Loose Ends,
Sarah Menescal,
Con Funk Shun,
Eli Mardock,
The Cramps,
Das Ding,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Sister Nancy,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Brand Nubian,
Adolescents,
The Selecter,
Sex Pistols,
Chris & Cosey,
Minutemen,
Joyce Sims,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
the Normal,
Camberwell Now,
The Raincoats,
Little Man,
The Alarm Clocks,
Bill Near,
Thompson Twins,
Mark Hollis,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Shuggie Otis,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Rosa Yemen,
Marvin Gaye,
Sixth Finger,
The Dave Clark Five,
Al Stewart,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Model 500,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Gang Green,
Wings,
Rekid,
Junior Murvin,
E-Dancer,
Excepter,
X-Ray Spex,
The Electric Prunes,
Fad Gadget,
Yellowson,
The Seeds,
Yazoo,
Boredoms,
Flamin' Groovies,
T.S.O.L.,
Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens, Silicon Teens.
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.