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 Senegal and from Manila.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Music Machine to the funk 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 The Human League. All the underground hits.
All The Smiths tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Unwound record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Manfred Mann's Earth Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bobby Womack,
The Vogues,
Pussy Galore,
Cal Tjader,
Pagans,
Cheater Slicks,
Basic Channel,
Newcleus,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Accadde A,
Boredoms,
Trumans Water,
The Birthday Party,
Michelle Simonal,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Groovy Waters,
Gichy Dan,
Jeff Mills,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Grey Daturas,
Half Japanese,
The Fugs,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Ultra Naté,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Warsaw,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Davy DMX,
The Evens,
Sonic Youth,
Jesper Dahlback,
Chris & Cosey,
The Human League,
Moby Grape,
The Dead C,
Sight & Sound,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Technova,
Thompson Twins,
John Coltrane,
The Sound,
Second Layer,
MDC,
Oneida,
The Angels of Light,
Amon Düül II,
Jacques Brel,
Sarah Menescal,
The Slackers,
ABBA,
the Swans,
Khruangbin,
The Blackbyrds,
Quadrant,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Motions,
Soul Sonic Force,
Pere Ubu,
Glambeats Corp.,
Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma.
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.