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 Georgia and from Shanghai.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 grunge kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Todd Terry. All the underground hits.
All The Birthday Party tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every John Cale record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 clarinet and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cabaret Voltaire record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roxy Music,
The Martian,
Sam Rivers,
Joey Negro,
Ossler,
The Seeds,
Reuben Wilson,
Section 25,
Country Teasers,
The J.B.'s,
The Fugs,
Warren Ellis,
Rapeman,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
The Busters,
Wings,
The Neon Judgement,
Symarip,
Amon Düül II,
John Holt,
Quantec,
Graham Central Station,
the Germs,
The Gories,
The Knickerbockers,
Alton Ellis,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Das Ding,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Eric Copeland,
Funky Four + One,
Fat Boys,
Joe Finger,
LL Cool J,
Wire,
Erykah Badu,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Sonic Youth,
New York Dolls,
Frankie Knuckles,
Sun City Girls,
Thompson Twins,
The Toasters,
Zero Boys,
Anthony Braxton,
Robert Wyatt,
Tomorrow,
Charles Mingus,
A Certain Ratio,
The Slits,
Massinfluence,
Lakeside,
Darondo,
Jesper Dahlback,
Jawbox,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Motions,
The Kinks,
Panda Bear,
The Selecter,
Joy Division, Joy Division, Joy Division, Joy Division.
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.