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 Belize and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1987.
I was there at the first Nirvana show in Seattle.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Lagos.
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 linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 grunge 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 Eric Copeland. All the underground hits.
All Warren Ellis tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Louis and Bebe Barron record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 an arpeggiator and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Andrew Hill record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Funky Four + One,
The Remains,
Aswad,
the Human League,
Crime,
X-Ray Spex,
Fat Boys,
The Motions,
Sam Rivers,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Skaos,
Hasil Adkins,
Joyce Sims,
Joensuu 1685,
Gang Green,
Television,
Matthew Halsall,
Laurel Aitken,
Spoonie Gee,
Fela Kuti,
Depeche Mode,
Scratch Acid,
Crooked Eye,
Fluxion,
The Birthday Party,
Ten City,
the Bar-Kays,
Radiohead,
Nirvana,
Barrington Levy,
Kerrie Biddell,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Associates,
The Star Department,
Barry Ungar,
Public Enemy,
The Slits,
Scrapy,
Schoolly D,
Kas Product,
Barbara Tucker,
Supertramp,
Youth Brigade,
Electric Prunes,
The Barracudas,
Rufus Thomas,
Bobby Byrd,
Toni Rubio,
Donald Byrd,
T. Rex,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Scan 7,
The Last Poets,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Count Five,
Jesper Dahlback,
Man Parrish,
The Human League,
Jacques Brel,
Hashim,
Von Mondo,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Avey Tare,
Stiv Bators, Stiv Bators, Stiv Bators, Stiv Bators.
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.