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 Indonesia and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Calgary.
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 arpeggiator 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 Pere Ubu to the jazz 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 Leonard Cohen. All the underground hits.
All Organ tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Khruangbin record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Frankie Knuckles record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Vogues,
Ituana,
John Foxx,
The Beau Brummels,
The Move,
The Motions,
the Fania All-Stars,
Clear Light,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Fugazi,
Mr. Review,
Magma,
Public Enemy,
Sonic Youth,
Pussy Galore,
Rod Modell,
Depeche Mode,
Black Pus,
Brand Nubian,
Bronski Beat,
Kayak,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Moody Blues,
The Smoke,
Eric Dolphy,
Matthew Bourne,
Hasil Adkins,
Laurel Aitken,
Stereo Dub,
The Monks,
Vainqueur,
Sam Rivers,
Essential Logic,
X-101,
Peter & Gordon,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Von Mondo,
Model 500,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Rakim,
Bush Tetras,
Sällskapet,
Colin Newman,
The Stooges,
Terry Callier,
The Kinks,
Marc Almond,
Judy Mowatt,
Spoonie Gee,
Eurythmics,
Black Sheep,
Morten Harket,
The Wake,
Bobby Byrd,
Piero Umiliani,
The Fall,
Juan Atkins,
The Zeros,
Subhumans,
Pylon,
Television, Television, Television, Television.
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.