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 Lithuania and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 Beijing and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 arpeggiator 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 Agitation Free to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Zapp. All the underground hits.
All Donny Hathaway tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Fania All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 a marimba and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radiopuhelimet record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Germs,
Soulsonic Force,
Suburban Knight,
Black Pus,
H. Thieme,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Moby Grape,
The Monochrome Set,
X-101,
Malaria!,
Vladislav Delay,
Joe Finger,
The Gories,
Minny Pops,
Nico,
Ituana,
Country Teasers,
Animal Collective,
Excepter,
Dave Gahan,
Banda Bassotti,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Lou Christie,
The Techniques,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Rotary Connection,
Letta Mbulu,
Icehouse,
John Foxx,
The Pop Group,
Jesper Dahlback,
Swell Maps,
Public Image Ltd.,
Dennis Brown,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Barrington Levy,
The Trojans,
John Holt,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Index,
Cal Tjader,
the Swans,
Tommy Roe,
Massinfluence,
Soul II Soul,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Michelle Simonal,
Boredoms,
Cecil Taylor,
Peter and Kerry,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Archie Shepp,
Ice-T,
Thee Headcoats,
AZ,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Ultra Naté,
Man Eating Sloth,
Spoonie Gee, Spoonie Gee, Spoonie Gee, Spoonie Gee.
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.