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 Spain and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1964 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Hong Kong.
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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Slits to the grime kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Dennis Brown. All the underground hits.
All The Names tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cure record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 sitar and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tommy Roe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
China Crisis,
Todd Terry,
MC5,
Ten City,
the Soft Cell,
Franke,
Freddie Wadling,
Easy Going,
The Mojo Men,
These Immortal Souls,
Blancmange,
Con Funk Shun,
Joey Negro,
Chris Corsano,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Gong,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Fort Wilson Riot,
In Retrospect,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Selecter,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
K-Klass,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Sandy B,
Kayak,
PIL,
Animal Collective,
The Neon Judgement,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Glambeats Corp.,
Crispy Ambulance,
Marvin Gaye,
Skriet,
the Sonics,
Shuggie Otis,
Jeff Lynne,
Deakin,
Masters at Work,
Drexciya,
Minor Threat,
Khruangbin,
Rotary Connection,
Kerri Chandler,
Alison Limerick,
June of 44,
Bobby Womack,
Oneida,
Tommy Roe,
Parry Music,
Jandek,
Faust,
Brand Nubian,
World's Most,
Guru Guru,
Lalann,
The Busters,
The Names,
Accadde A,
Dorothy Ashby,
Sällskapet, Sällskapet, Sällskapet, Sällskapet.
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.