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 Yemen and from Manchester.
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 1967 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the 808 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 Oblivians to the rap kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Derrick May. All the underground hits.
All Grey Daturas tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Doors record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 harpsichord and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jandek record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Surgeon,
Aswad,
MC5,
E-Dancer,
Alison Limerick,
Fugazi,
Bad Manners,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Martian,
Dennis Brown,
Hardrive,
The Searchers,
the Human League,
the Germs,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Skriet,
Suburban Knight,
Nico,
Section 25,
Bush Tetras,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Eurythmics,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Marine Girls,
Loose Ends,
Amon Düül,
The Dirtbombs,
Urselle,
Moebius,
Intrusion,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Pretty Things,
Ponytail,
Ronnie Foster,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Easy Going,
The Leaves,
FM Einheit,
Charles Mingus,
The Toasters,
Scratch Acid,
The Victims,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Divine Comedy,
The Raincoats,
Gang Starr,
The Skatalites,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Quantec,
Radiopuhelimet,
Brothers Johnson,
K-Klass,
Lalo Schifrin,
Marvin Gaye,
Sandy B,
Banda Bassotti,
The Stooges,
Cameo,
Wire,
Rakim, Rakim, Rakim, Rakim.
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.