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 Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1965 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Chocolate Watch Band to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Niagra. All the underground hits.
All Quadrant tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every 8 Eyed Spy 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Duran Duran record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Sisters of Mercy,
The Modern Lovers,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Oneida,
Jawbox,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Tim Buckley,
Harpers Bizarre,
Neil Young,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Stooges,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Residents,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Flipper,
Qualms,
Jeff Mills,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Carl Craig,
Erykah Badu,
Graham Central Station,
Arcadia,
The Golliwogs,
Crash Course in Science,
The Human League,
The Leaves,
The Mojo Men,
the Human League,
DJ Style,
Iggy Pop,
Motorama,
F. McDonald,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Ultra Naté,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Pere Ubu,
Mo-Dettes,
The Walker Brothers,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Albert Ayler,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Kool Moe Dee,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The Smiths,
Barclay James Harvest,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Eli Mardock,
Josef K,
Pierre Henry,
Blossom Toes,
The Seeds,
The Five Americans,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Jacob Miller,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Pole,
Derrick May,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Swans,
Metal Thangz,
Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar.
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.