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 Mongolia and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1969 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Halifax 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Magazine to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Adolescents. All the underground hits.
All The Fugs tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Warren Ellis record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 linndrum and a guitar 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 marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tres Demented,
Sonic Youth,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Dead C,
Gabor Szabo,
The Stooges,
the Normal,
Sister Nancy,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Move,
CMW,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Todd Terry,
Jacques Brel,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
X-101,
The Sisters of Mercy,
The Monks,
Ludus,
Glambeats Corp.,
Derrick Morgan,
Skaos,
Quando Quango,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Sun City Girls,
Rotary Connection,
Youth Brigade,
FM Einheit,
Ralphi Rosario,
Scrapy,
Moby Grape,
Infiniti,
Aural Exciters,
The Sound,
The Raincoats,
Aloha Tigers,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Divine Comedy,
The Fortunes,
The Flesh Eaters,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Accadde A,
Chris & Cosey,
Metal Thangz,
the Human League,
John Coltrane,
The Mojo Men,
Index,
Lalo Schifrin,
Peter & Gordon,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
L. Decosne,
Con Funk Shun,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Delta 5,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Interpol,
John Cale,
The Smiths, The Smiths, The Smiths, The Smiths.
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.