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 Malta and from Mexico City.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 Bobbi Humphrey to the jazz 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 cv313. All the underground hits.
All Swans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gang of Four record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Monochrome Set record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Skriet,
Lalann,
Bill Wells,
Kurtis Blow,
Lou Christie,
Bill Near,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Surgeon,
Clear Light,
The Mummies,
Banda Bassotti,
Soft Machine,
the Fania All-Stars,
Magma,
The Grass Roots,
Lyres,
the Germs,
Spoonie Gee,
Gang Starr,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Parry Music,
The Remains,
Marvin Gaye,
Loose Ends,
Joy Division,
Josef K,
Minor Threat,
John Holt,
Sonny Sharrock,
the Sonics,
Johnny Osbourne,
Con Funk Shun,
Sällskapet,
Negative Approach,
Brand Nubian,
Funkadelic,
The Flesh Eaters,
Pantaleimon,
Sexual Harrassment,
Danielle Patucci,
Harpers Bizarre,
Trumans Water,
the Normal,
Alton Ellis,
It's A Beautiful Day,
June of 44,
Television,
the Association,
David Axelrod,
Nico,
Yusef Lateef,
Ludus,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Siglo XX,
Stiv Bators,
Piero Umiliani,
The Smiths,
Gerry Rafferty,
Nick Fraelich,
Joensuu 1685,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Skatalites, The Skatalites, The Skatalites, The Skatalites.
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.