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 Jamaica and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 harpsichord 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 The Star Department to the electroclash 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 Goldenarms. All the underground hits.
All Don Cherry tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jeru the Damaja 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Men They Couldn't Hang record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Talk Talk,
Avey Tare,
Average White Band,
Joe Finger,
Bobbi Humphrey,
MDC,
The Divine Comedy,
Oblivians,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Aural Exciters,
Vladislav Delay,
The Fugs,
June of 44,
Absolute Body Control,
Eddi Front,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
PIL,
The Beau Brummels,
Porter Ricks,
Royal Trux,
Funkadelic,
Bluetip,
The Gories,
MC5,
LL Cool J,
Pylon,
The Motions,
Model 500,
Skaos,
Lower 48,
Minor Threat,
Ronan,
Supertramp,
Piero Umiliani,
Interpol,
Freddie Wadling,
JFA,
Sound Behaviour,
Thompson Twins,
Franke,
Brand Nubian,
The Misunderstood,
Dorothy Ashby,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The J.B.'s,
the Human League,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Radiohead,
The Birthday Party,
Joe Smooth,
Sarah Menescal,
X-101,
Sun City Girls,
The Move,
Ludus,
Country Teasers,
Howard Jones,
Pet Shop Boys, Pet Shop Boys, Pet Shop Boys, Pet Shop Boys.
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.