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 Czech Republic and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1967 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Angels of Light & Akron/Family to the crunk 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 The Blues Magoos. All the underground hits.
All Maleditus Sound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Jesus and Mary Chain 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Last Poets record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Litter,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Pagans,
Aloha Tigers,
Dawn Penn,
A Certain Ratio,
Hasil Adkins,
The J.B.'s,
These Immortal Souls,
Wasted Youth,
Ronan,
Eric B and Rakim,
Deadbeat,
Khruangbin,
Sound Behaviour,
Harmonia,
Tomorrow,
Susan Cadogan,
Cymande,
Pole,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
H. Thieme,
Brass Construction,
Accadde A,
Peter & Gordon,
Faraquet,
Cybotron,
Amon Düül,
The Knickerbockers,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Los Fastidios,
the Germs,
L. Decosne,
Bluetip,
Joe Smooth,
The Star Department,
Scrapy,
Aaron Thompson,
Television Personalities,
The Associates,
KRS-One,
Crime,
Skriet,
Wire,
Buzzcocks,
Visage,
Sight & Sound,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Idris Muhammad,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Birthday Party,
Dennis Brown,
Zero Boys,
Deakin,
Trumans Water,
Donny Hathaway,
The Toasters,
Lucky Dragons,
Sixth Finger,
Delon & Dalcan,
X-102,
Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music.
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.