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 Moldova and from Mexico City.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 David Bowie 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 Eden Ahbez 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 Bang on a Can All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All a-ha tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ten City 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Machine record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Vogues,
Gil Scott Heron,
Man Eating Sloth,
The Angels of Light,
The Mojo Men,
Mark Hollis,
The Alarm Clocks,
Absolute Body Control,
Chrome,
Livin' Joy,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Sound,
Monks,
Guru Guru,
Cybotron,
Tropical Tobacco,
Fela Kuti,
Grey Daturas,
The Velvet Underground,
Prince Buster,
Crispy Ambulance,
Index,
Isaac Hayes,
the Soft Cell,
The American Breed,
The Techniques,
Soul II Soul,
Massinfluence,
Von Mondo,
Crash Course in Science,
the Human League,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Five Americans,
Gichy Dan,
Duran Duran,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Buzzcocks,
Babytalk,
The Dirtbombs,
Nation of Ulysses,
B.T. Express,
Bill Near,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
John Cale,
Gong,
Sarah Menescal,
Skriet,
Anakelly,
Gabor Szabo,
Eric B and Rakim,
Panda Bear,
Crooked Eye,
Juan Atkins,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Knickerbockers,
Black Pus,
Rapeman,
Ten City,
Echospace,
AZ,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Soul Sonic Force,
Idris Muhammad, Idris Muhammad, Idris Muhammad, Idris Muhammad.
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.