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 Korea North and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 mellotron 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 Glenn Branca to the jazz 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 Agitation Free. All the underground hits.
All Lalann tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Moby Grape record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Althea and Donna record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eve St. Jones,
The Slackers,
Lightning Bolt,
Letta Mbulu,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Fugs,
The Smiths,
Young Marble Giants,
Boredoms,
Brothers Johnson,
Harpers Bizarre,
Rites of Spring,
Amon Düül II,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Wire,
Zero Boys,
Make Up,
Peter & Gordon,
Curtis Mayfield,
Agent Orange,
Piero Umiliani,
Newcleus,
Chris & Cosey,
Grey Daturas,
Tres Demented,
Todd Rundgren,
John Holt,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Easy Going,
Youth Brigade,
Lakeside,
Ten City,
The Index,
Massinfluence,
Leonard Cohen,
The Durutti Column,
B.T. Express,
Unrelated Segments,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Bauhaus,
The Victims,
Qualms,
Delta 5,
Groovy Waters,
Mark Hollis,
The Kinks,
Bush Tetras,
Cameo,
K-Klass,
Fatback Band,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Lyres,
Whodini,
James White and The Blacks,
Electric Prunes,
Minor Threat,
Average White Band,
LL Cool J,
Andrew Hill,
Niagra, Niagra, Niagra, Niagra.
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.