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 Papua New Guinea and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Carl Craig to the jazz 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 Underground Resistance. All the underground hits.
All Half Japanese tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Invisible record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Saccharine Trust,
Anakelly,
Al Stewart,
Boogie Down Productions,
Scion,
Deakin,
Minutemen,
The Happenings,
Bobby Womack,
The Monochrome Set,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Alton Ellis,
Television,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
David Bowie,
the Human League,
Chrome,
Boz Scaggs,
Frankie Knuckles,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Liliput,
Mission of Burma,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Patti Smith,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Wings,
Q and Not U,
Soulsonic Force,
Derrick Morgan,
Avey Tare,
Bluetip,
Gang Starr,
Ossler,
Black Flag,
Black Pus,
Nick Fraelich,
The Real Kids,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
John Cale,
Bob Dylan,
Erykah Badu,
Cymande,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Motorama,
Drexciya,
June of 44,
Whodini,
Roger Hodgson,
The Invisible,
The Martian,
Peter and Kerry,
Sonic Youth,
Qualms,
New Order,
ABC,
Pussy Galore,
Jawbox,
Iggy Pop,
Robert Görl, Robert Görl, Robert Görl, Robert Görl.
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.