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 Togo and from Delhi.
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 1964 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the oboe 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 Trojans to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Archie Shepp. All the underground hits.
All Jawbox tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Matthew Halsall record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Absolute Body Control record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Urselle,
Radio Birdman,
The Trojans,
Crooked Eye,
John Holt,
The Zeros,
World's Most,
Junior Murvin,
Von Mondo,
Rhythm & Sound,
E-Dancer,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Aswad,
Rufus Thomas,
Unwound,
Zapp,
Joe Smooth,
La Düsseldorf,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Kas Product,
Lightning Bolt,
Jandek,
Harry Pussy,
ABC,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Joy Division,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Au Pairs,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Jeru the Damaja,
Kool Moe Dee,
the Fania All-Stars,
Interpol,
Guru Guru,
The Golliwogs,
Skarface,
Ronnie Foster,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Electric Prunes,
AZ,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Associates,
Radiohead,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Albert Ayler,
Charles Mingus,
Joensuu 1685,
Fad Gadget,
Ronan,
Sexual Harrassment,
Minor Threat,
Isaac Hayes,
Subhumans,
Colin Newman,
Janne Schatter,
Stiv Bators,
The Sonics,
Roxy Music,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Donald Byrd, Donald Byrd, Donald Byrd, Donald Byrd.
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.