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 Moldova and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1976 at the first Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 The Divine Comedy to the rap 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 Wire. All the underground hits.
All Subhumans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every UT record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Freddie Wadling record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Blancmange,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Gregory Isaacs,
These Immortal Souls,
Dark Day,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Wally Richardson,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Standells,
Johnny Osbourne,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Pagans,
Aloha Tigers,
Tubeway Army,
Ituana,
Crispian St. Peters,
China Crisis,
Slick Rick,
Anthony Braxton,
MDC,
Pole,
Curtis Mayfield,
The Knickerbockers,
Hashim,
Letta Mbulu,
The Toasters,
Kerri Chandler,
Lower 48,
The Seeds,
John Foxx,
Tomorrow,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
E-Dancer,
Matthew Halsall,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Inner City,
The Remains,
The Birthday Party,
the Germs,
Khruangbin,
The Leaves,
the Human League,
Prince Buster,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Gang Gang Dance,
Soulsonic Force,
Au Pairs,
Bill Wells,
Camouflage,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Pulsallama,
Soft Cell,
Black Flag,
Mandrill,
Amon Düül,
Eric Dolphy,
The Raincoats,
Easy Going,
Nation of Ulysses,
10cc,
Pere Ubu,
The Wake, The Wake, The Wake, The Wake.
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.