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 Tanzania and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 synthesizer 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 Unwound to the electroclash 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 Cluster. All the underground hits.
All The Detroit Cobras tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Main Source record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pagans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Radiohead,
Masters at Work,
Loose Ends,
June of 44,
Scan 7,
Black Flag,
Reuben Wilson,
The Knickerbockers,
Circle Jerks,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Qualms,
Bad Manners,
Brick,
Country Joe & The Fish,
The American Breed,
Q and Not U,
T.S.O.L.,
Unrelated Segments,
MDC,
Absolute Body Control,
Ralphi Rosario,
Crispian St. Peters,
Fela Kuti,
Subhumans,
Jesper Dahlback,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
R.M.O.,
The Saints,
Man Parrish,
Yaz,
The Dave Clark Five,
Fatback Band,
Grauzone,
The United States of America,
AZ,
Pole,
Pylon,
Spandau Ballet,
John Cale,
Television Personalities,
The Mojo Men,
ABBA,
Kaleidoscope,
Public Enemy,
Judy Mowatt,
Magazine,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Los Fastidios,
The J.B.'s,
Pulsallama,
Gang of Four,
Joensuu 1685,
The Moleskins,
Nik Kershaw,
Joey Negro,
Arthur Verocai,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Fire Engines,
Wings,
Oneida,
Brass Construction,
Skaos, Skaos, Skaos, Skaos.
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.