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 Tonga and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 Mexico City and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Terry Callier to the electroclash kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Soft Machine. All the underground hits.
All A Certain Ratio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Patti Smith record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 mellotron and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Star Department record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Marine Girls,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Moody Blues,
The Five Americans,
Thee Headcoats,
Amazonics,
Funky Four + One,
In Retrospect,
The New Christs,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Divine Comedy,
Bluetip,
Joe Smooth,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Pussy Galore,
Kurtis Blow,
Average White Band,
Gang Green,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Buckinghams,
The Gladiators,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Erykah Badu,
Young Marble Giants,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
New York Dolls,
The United States of America,
Ituana,
T. Rex,
Organ,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Radiopuhelimet,
PIL,
The Velvet Underground,
Boogie Down Productions,
Jerry's Kids,
Brass Construction,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Jandek,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Marvin Gaye,
Wasted Youth,
Eric Dolphy,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
A Certain Ratio,
Gang Starr,
Fugazi,
Ohio Players,
Cluster,
Wally Richardson,
Parry Music,
Monolake,
Con Funk Shun,
Can,
R.M.O.,
Ken Boothe,
Pantaleimon,
Vladislav Delay,
Anakelly, Anakelly, Anakelly, Anakelly.
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.