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 Bulgaria and from Lyon.
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 1960 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Count Five to the electroclash 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 Groovy Waters. All the underground hits.
All Peter & Gordon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Dirtbombs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oppenheimer Analysis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eli Mardock,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Shuggie Otis,
Vainqueur,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Sound,
X-101,
The Shadows of Knight,
Animal Collective,
Morten Harket,
Charles Mingus,
Pet Shop Boys,
Lightning Bolt,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Trojans,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Yusef Lateef,
Kerrie Biddell,
The Toasters,
The Offenders,
Roxette,
Tears for Fears,
Rhythm & Sound,
Jawbox,
Massinfluence,
Theoretical Girls,
Bad Manners,
Brand Nubian,
Lou Christie,
Ponytail,
Maleditus Sound,
the Germs,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Infiniti,
Rod Modell,
The Alarm Clocks,
Bobby Sherman,
PIL,
Laurel Aitken,
Aloha Tigers,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Barracudas,
The Residents,
The Real Kids,
Moby Grape,
The Monochrome Set,
Can,
Don Cherry,
Al Stewart,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Motorama,
R.M.O.,
The Slackers,
Skaos,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Black Bananas,
Hot Snakes,
The Count Five,
Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway.
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.