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 Swaziland and from Spokane.
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 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Tokyo.
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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Thompson Twins 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 Bill Near. All the underground hits.
All Flamin' Groovies tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a JFA record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Letta Mbulu,
Barrington Levy,
Fad Gadget,
the Bar-Kays,
Bang On A Can,
Quadrant,
The Sound,
Lalann,
Scan 7,
Guru Guru,
Spandau Ballet,
Roxy Music,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Alton Ellis,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Vladislav Delay,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Misunderstood,
Reagan Youth,
Pylon,
Yazoo,
Urselle,
Intrusion,
Joyce Sims,
The Moleskins,
Gastr Del Sol,
Pharoah Sanders,
New Order,
Darondo,
Thee Headcoats,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
David Bowie,
Swell Maps,
Jeru the Damaja,
Flamin' Groovies,
Bush Tetras,
In Retrospect,
Anakelly,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Count Five,
the Sonics,
Marmalade,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Nik Kershaw,
Curtis Mayfield,
Crooked Eye,
Ronnie Foster,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Sun Ra,
Todd Rundgren,
The Black Dice,
Warren Ellis,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Loose Ends,
kango's stein massive,
Accadde A,
Blake Baxter,
FM Einheit,
K-Klass,
Gil Scott Heron,
Interpol,
Suburban Knight, Suburban Knight, Suburban Knight, Suburban Knight.
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.