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 Panama and from Bologna.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 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 Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo 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 Half Japanese. All the underground hits.
All The Cramps tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jawbox 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Leonard Cohen record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Echospace,
The Mighty Diamonds,
ABBA,
Michelle Simonal,
Alton Ellis,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Alarm Clocks,
Malaria!,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Flesh Eaters,
Amazonics,
Soft Cell,
Arcadia,
Sam Rivers,
Agent Orange,
Underground Resistance,
The Neon Judgement,
Pagans,
Slick Rick,
Black Flag,
Shoche,
Quando Quango,
Gang Starr,
The Red Krayola,
Angry Samoans,
Television,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Wolf Eyes,
Charles Mingus,
The Misunderstood,
Aural Exciters,
Spandau Ballet,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Marvin Gaye,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Essential Logic,
Animal Collective,
Junior Murvin,
The Blues Magoos,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Symarip,
The Saints,
Eric Copeland,
Delon & Dalcan,
Throbbing Gristle,
Gil Scott Heron,
Ralphi Rosario,
Hot Snakes,
Scott Walker,
Television Personalities,
Joe Finger,
Davy DMX,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Ohio Players,
Gichy Dan,
The Pretty Things,
Kayak,
Colin Newman,
The Velvet Underground,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Searchers,
Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy.
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.