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 El Salvador and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1961 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the theremin 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 Warren Ellis 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 Au Pairs. All the underground hits.
All Rosa Yemen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Evens record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rites of Spring,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Piero Umiliani,
Oblivians,
Lungfish,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Clear Light,
Quando Quango,
Public Image Ltd.,
Man Eating Sloth,
The Fall,
Oneida,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Shadows of Knight,
Laurel Aitken,
Eric B and Rakim,
Barrington Levy,
The Evens,
Pole,
Matthew Bourne,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Chris Corsano,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Red Krayola,
The Remains,
Minnie Riperton,
The Cowsills,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Soul Sonic Force,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Deepchord,
Neu!,
Byron Stingily,
Michelle Simonal,
Radiopuhelimet,
Zapp,
Fatback Band,
Kenny Larkin,
The Skatalites,
Funkadelic,
The Fire Engines,
Isaac Hayes,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Marvin Gaye,
The Gun Club,
Delon & Dalcan,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Mummies,
Ice-T,
Adolescents,
Fat Boys,
H. Thieme,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Lucky Dragons,
Bobby Hutcherson,
PIL,
The Mojo Men,
Alice Coltrane,
Motorama,
Godley & Creme,
Flamin' Groovies,
Todd Rundgren,
Guru Guru, Guru Guru, Guru Guru, Guru Guru.
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.