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 Turkmenistan and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 Jakarta and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 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 Q65 to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Colin Newman. All the underground hits.
All The Tremeloes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Brass Construction record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 marimba and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Shadows of Knight record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Basic Channel,
Alphaville,
UT,
The Residents,
Parry Music,
Lindisfarne,
The Happenings,
Albert Ayler,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Moby Grape,
Piero Umiliani,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Delta 5,
Radio Birdman,
The Searchers,
Johnny Osbourne,
Dave Gahan,
The Index,
Max Romeo,
Aswad,
Stetsasonic,
Sun Ra,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Monks,
Panda Bear,
Man Eating Sloth,
Subhumans,
Carl Craig,
Radiopuhelimet,
DJ Style,
Mantronix,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Drexciya,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Y Pants,
Gregory Isaacs,
Harmonia,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Flamin' Groovies,
Bob Dylan,
Sex Pistols,
Country Joe & The Fish,
The Tremeloes,
The Seeds,
Mr. Review,
Brand Nubian,
Bush Tetras,
Lalann,
Dual Sessions,
Organ,
Joensuu 1685,
Prince Buster,
Nils Olav,
The Offenders,
ABC,
Minor Threat,
Schoolly D,
Negative Approach,
Ornette Coleman,
Motorama,
The Leaves, The Leaves, The Leaves, The Leaves.
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.