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 Liberia and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Salvador.
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 1968 at the first Can practice in a loft in Cologne.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 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 Louis and Bebe Barron. All the underground hits.
All The Last Poets tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every KRS-One 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Alton Ellis,
The Selecter,
Frankie Knuckles,
Von Mondo,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Motions,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Niagra,
Roxette,
The Dave Clark Five,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Amon Düül II,
Malaria!,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Cecil Taylor,
Schoolly D,
Tres Demented,
Neil Young,
The Stooges,
The Offenders,
Kool Moe Dee,
Deakin,
Peter & Gordon,
Pere Ubu,
Yazoo,
Minor Threat,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Cramps,
Marmalade,
Barclay James Harvest,
Popol Vuh,
Monolake,
Jacques Brel,
Sexual Harrassment,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Moby Grape,
The Angels of Light,
Arthur Verocai,
Soul II Soul,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Eli Mardock,
Rod Modell,
Byron Stingily,
Dark Day,
John Holt,
Glambeats Corp.,
Funky Four + One,
Black Sheep,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Scion,
Magma,
cv313,
Howard Jones,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Jeff Lynne,
New Order,
The Fall,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Ituana,
Masters at Work,
The Victims,
Marc Almond, Marc Almond, Marc Almond, Marc Almond.
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.