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 Israel and from Milan.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1968 at the first Can practice in a loft in Cologne.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Smog to the grunge 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 Soul II Soul. All the underground hits.
All Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Fugs 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Hoover record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Swans,
Hot Snakes,
Japan,
The Moleskins,
Sam Rivers,
Man Parrish,
Average White Band,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Bad Manners,
Half Japanese,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Nirvana,
Banda Bassotti,
Deepchord,
Kayak,
Glenn Branca,
Moebius,
Minutemen,
Dark Day,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sugar Minott,
Eden Ahbez,
Fluxion,
Colin Newman,
Donny Hathaway,
John Cale,
a-ha,
Charles Mingus,
Parry Music,
The Raincoats,
Bauhaus,
Roy Ayers,
Lee Hazlewood,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Seeds,
Agent Orange,
Drexciya,
Liliput,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Bronski Beat,
Letta Mbulu,
Gang Gang Dance,
Interpol,
The Mummies,
Sun Ra,
Pagans,
Neu!,
Easy Going,
T. Rex,
The Saints,
Josef K,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Chris Corsano,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Delta 5,
Gichy Dan,
Matthew Bourne,
Matthew Halsall,
Dorothy Ashby,
Ituana,
Davy DMX,
Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy.
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.