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 Afghanistan and from Paris.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in 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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 Lou Reed 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 Metal Thangz to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Spoonie Gee. All the underground hits.
All Cecil Taylor tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Moby Grape 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Laurel Aitken record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bill Near,
The Fortunes,
Warsaw,
The Doors,
Grey Daturas,
Spoonie Gee,
The Slits,
The Gories,
Toni Rubio,
Brass Construction,
E-Dancer,
Soul II Soul,
Pantaleimon,
FM Einheit,
Zero Boys,
the Human League,
Mr. Review,
Soul Sonic Force,
Rhythm & Sound,
Sixth Finger,
Q and Not U,
Au Pairs,
Boredoms,
Smog,
Nation of Ulysses,
Model 500,
Eric Dolphy,
New Age Steppers,
Derrick May,
Gang Starr,
Minor Threat,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Wally Richardson,
T.S.O.L.,
The Gun Club,
Marshall Jefferson,
Sandy B,
Grauzone,
Vainqueur,
Guru Guru,
Subhumans,
B.T. Express,
Marmalade,
Quadrant,
Black Flag,
The Dirtbombs,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Joe Finger,
Ultravox,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Colin Newman,
Basic Channel,
Drexciya,
Rotary Connection,
Mission of Burma,
Warren Ellis,
Man Eating Sloth,
Godley & Creme,
Cluster,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Junior Murvin, Junior Murvin, Junior Murvin, Junior Murvin.
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.