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 Georgia and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 synthesizer 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 DJ Sneak to the dance kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Urselle. All the underground hits.
All Dual Sessions tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kool G Rap & DJ Polo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 rhodes and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Saccharine Trust,
the Sonics,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Unrelated Segments,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Procol Harum,
Unwound,
China Crisis,
Ohio Players,
The Invisible,
Robert Wyatt,
Boogie Down Productions,
Grauzone,
the Germs,
Animal Collective,
Yazoo,
Don Cherry,
The Leaves,
Underground Resistance,
The Seeds,
Theoretical Girls,
Panda Bear,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Au Pairs,
Ultra Naté,
Mad Mike,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Gang Green,
The Vogues,
Flamin' Groovies,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Das Ding,
Arthur Verocai,
Niagra,
Nils Olav,
The Alarm Clocks,
Radio Birdman,
a-ha,
John Foxx,
These Immortal Souls,
Minutemen,
Harpers Bizarre,
Barbara Tucker,
Radiohead,
Rapeman,
Rod Modell,
Thee Headcoats,
Joyce Sims,
JFA,
Laurel Aitken,
The Modern Lovers,
Amon Düül,
K-Klass,
Glenn Branca,
Ossler,
Ponytail,
Grey Daturas,
X-102,
Absolute Body Control,
Black Moon,
Youth Brigade, Youth Brigade, Youth Brigade, Youth Brigade.
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.