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 Russia and from Philadelphia.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 James Chance & The Contortions to the funk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Neil Young. All the underground hits.
All Barbara Tucker tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Art Ensemble Of Chicago record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pagans,
The Gories,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Quando Quango,
FM Einheit,
JFA,
Albert Ayler,
Man Eating Sloth,
Dawn Penn,
Althea and Donna,
Arthur Verocai,
Cheater Slicks,
Jimmy McGriff,
June of 44,
Von Mondo,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Raincoats,
Dead Boys,
Bush Tetras,
Yusef Lateef,
Mad Mike,
Symarip,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Motions,
Bluetip,
The Last Poets,
Qualms,
The Happenings,
Chris & Cosey,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Smog,
Dorothy Ashby,
Section 25,
The Fortunes,
Robert Görl,
U.S. Maple,
Fugazi,
Public Image Ltd.,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Mummies,
China Crisis,
Wire,
Glambeats Corp.,
Slave,
Deadbeat,
Tommy Roe,
Cal Tjader,
Pantytec,
The Detroit Cobras,
Amon Düül,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Au Pairs,
Skarface,
The Gun Club,
Sun City Girls,
Little Man,
Kurtis Blow,
Stiv Bators,
The Gap Band,
Aloha Tigers,
Rosa Yemen,
Outsiders,
John Coltrane, John Coltrane, John Coltrane, John Coltrane.
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.