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 St Lucia and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
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 The Electric Prunes to the funk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Pagans. All the underground hits.
All The Slackers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sight & Sound 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Gap Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Cheater Slicks,
Warren Ellis,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Brothers Johnson,
Junior Murvin,
Donald Byrd,
The Offenders,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Saints,
The Vogues,
The Beau Brummels,
In Retrospect,
Funky Four + One,
Sam Rivers,
Patti Smith,
The Red Krayola,
Isaac Hayes,
Second Layer,
Amon Düül II,
Ohio Players,
Rakim,
Symarip,
The J.B.'s,
The Pop Group,
Erasure,
Piero Umiliani,
The Slits,
Zero Boys,
Stereo Dub,
The Martian,
David Axelrod,
Glenn Branca,
Godley & Creme,
Guru Guru,
June of 44,
Deakin,
Ten City,
Easy Going,
The Neon Judgement,
Bronski Beat,
Avey Tare,
Josef K,
Eden Ahbez,
Q and Not U,
Animal Collective,
EPMD,
Throbbing Gristle,
Can,
Gang of Four,
Ituana,
Frankie Knuckles,
Henry Cow,
Maurizio,
The Litter,
Mission of Burma,
Monolake, Monolake, Monolake, Monolake.
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.