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 Cyprus and from Jakarta.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Winnipeg 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 güiro 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 Tropical Tobacco to the rap kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Robert Hood. All the underground hits.
All Terry Callier tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang on a Can All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mission of Burma record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Unwound,
Althea and Donna,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Sun Ra,
Idris Muhammad,
Amazonics,
JFA,
Black Pus,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Associates,
Jawbox,
Pharoah Sanders,
Pere Ubu,
Thompson Twins,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Gun Club,
Pagans,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Vladislav Delay,
The Black Dice,
Camberwell Now,
Donny Hathaway,
10cc,
Erykah Badu,
The Vogues,
Drexciya,
Tomorrow,
Eli Mardock,
Ornette Coleman,
Scott Walker,
The Happenings,
Girls At Our Best!,
Crash Course in Science,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Max Romeo,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Human League,
Amon Düül II,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Black Moon,
Zapp,
Ronan,
Roxette,
Pole,
Loose Ends,
Blake Baxter,
Stiv Bators,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Scion,
Ralphi Rosario,
Babytalk,
cv313,
Nirvana,
Monolake,
Vainqueur,
Grandmaster Flash,
Con Funk Shun,
Roger Hodgson,
Schoolly D,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Thee Headcoats, Thee Headcoats, Thee Headcoats, Thee Headcoats.
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.