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 Qatar and from Manila.
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 1964 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Sun Ra to the punk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 The Detroit Cobras. All the underground hits.
All Ash Ra Tempel tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Cal Tjader record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 marimba and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rhythim Is Rhythim record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Lower 48,
Dark Day,
Monolake,
Henry Cow,
Fela Kuti,
Suicide,
Television,
Eden Ahbez,
H. Thieme,
Soft Machine,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Liliput,
Sällskapet,
Jacob Miller,
Silicon Teens,
Visage,
Amon Düül II,
Lindisfarne,
Parry Music,
Popol Vuh,
Bush Tetras,
Wings,
Marc Almond,
Sparks,
Supertramp,
The Last Poets,
Excepter,
Oblivians,
The Standells,
Robert Wyatt,
The Flesh Eaters,
Pagans,
Procol Harum,
Stereo Dub,
Judy Mowatt,
Spoonie Gee,
Radiohead,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Roy Ayers,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Wire,
Aaron Thompson,
the Human League,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Red Krayola,
CMW,
OOIOO,
Guru Guru,
Slave,
ABBA,
Livin' Joy,
Niagra,
Glambeats Corp.,
Scion,
Piero Umiliani,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
E-Dancer,
Das Ding,
Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux.
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.