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 Afghanistan and from Copenhagen.
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 1968 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 Reagan Youth to the grime 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 Janne Schatter. All the underground hits.
All Echospace tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Aloha Tigers 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grauzone record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Thee Headcoats,
Jacques Brel,
Black Sheep,
Theoretical Girls,
The Electric Prunes,
Black Flag,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Zero Boys,
The Trojans,
Derrick Morgan,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Clear Light,
Buzzcocks,
Terry Callier,
Royal Trux,
Stiv Bators,
Bizarre Inc.,
Newcleus,
Sonny Sharrock,
Franke,
Erasure,
The Human League,
Boz Scaggs,
Kenny Larkin,
a-ha,
Grandmaster Flash,
Nils Olav,
Barbara Tucker,
Soul II Soul,
the Bar-Kays,
Aaron Thompson,
Skarface,
Metal Thangz,
Judy Mowatt,
Moby Grape,
Darondo,
AZ,
Matthew Halsall,
Alton Ellis,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Mission of Burma,
Main Source,
FM Einheit,
The Associates,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Toasters,
Quando Quango,
Nation of Ulysses,
Fugazi,
Eurythmics,
Jeff Lynne,
Lalann,
The Evens,
Grauzone,
48th St. Collective,
The Doobie Brothers,
Con Funk Shun,
The Gun Club,
Lou Christie,
Godley & Creme,
the Germs,
Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico.
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.