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 South Sudan and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1980.
I was there at the first Cybotron show in Detroit.
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 1962 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 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 Harry Pussy to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Monks. All the underground hits.
All Visage tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Beau Brummels record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The United States of America record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Count Five,
Public Image Ltd.,
Janne Schatter,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Drexciya,
Flash Fearless,
Masters at Work,
Japan,
Trumans Water,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Bobby Womack,
The Slits,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Zeros,
Morten Harket,
Girls At Our Best!,
Sällskapet,
Traffic Nightmare,
Flamin' Groovies,
Marc Almond,
Rites of Spring,
Maleditus Sound,
The Buckinghams,
The Golliwogs,
The Flesh Eaters,
Marshall Jefferson,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Marine Girls,
Au Pairs,
Amon Düül,
John Coltrane,
Swell Maps,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Ohio Players,
Sam Rivers,
The Names,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
John Cale,
Agent Orange,
Johnny Clarke,
the Fania All-Stars,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Juan Atkins,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Pierre Henry,
Marmalade,
Inner City,
Half Japanese,
Peter and Kerry,
Sonny Sharrock,
Arcadia,
Wings,
Drive Like Jehu,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Aaron Thompson,
Althea and Donna,
Terry Callier,
U.S. Maple,
Intrusion,
Prince Buster,
Alton Ellis,
Howard Jones,
Ossler, Ossler, Ossler, Ossler.
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.