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 Philippines and from Johannesburg.
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 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 Captain Beefheart 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 X-101 to the electroclash 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 Dual Sessions. All the underground hits.
All Johnny Osbourne tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Janne Schatter record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dawn Penn record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Saccharine Trust,
Alphaville,
L. Decosne,
Youth Brigade,
Isaac Hayes,
The Wake,
Thee Headcoats,
John Coltrane,
Curtis Mayfield,
the Human League,
Idris Muhammad,
Brand Nubian,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Cecil Taylor,
Monks,
Lungfish,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Negative Approach,
Warsaw,
Talk Talk,
B.T. Express,
The Standells,
The Velvet Underground,
Easy Going,
The Blues Magoos,
Mo-Dettes,
The Neon Judgement,
Cymande,
Desert Stars,
Jerry's Kids,
Lyres,
Thompson Twins,
Cabaret Voltaire,
One Last Wish,
Technova,
Popol Vuh,
Cluster,
Harmonia,
Agent Orange,
Trumans Water,
Black Moon,
Jeru the Damaja,
New York Dolls,
Black Sheep,
Sällskapet,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Inner City,
Tres Demented,
The Slits,
Sonny Sharrock,
Hardrive,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Roy Ayers,
T.S.O.L.,
Graham Central Station,
Laurel Aitken,
Half Japanese,
Depeche Mode,
Deakin, Deakin, Deakin, Deakin.
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.