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 Moldova and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1962 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Philadelphia.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 The Litter to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Little Man. All the underground hits.
All Cal Tjader tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Dorothy Ashby record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The United States of America,
Boogie Down Productions,
Connie Case,
Pulsallama,
The Names,
Fad Gadget,
Laurel Aitken,
The Monks,
Cybotron,
La Düsseldorf,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Eric Dolphy,
Second Layer,
Niagra,
The Doors,
Deakin,
Inner City,
Letta Mbulu,
Gang of Four,
10cc,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Hardrive,
Wally Richardson,
The Searchers,
Grauzone,
The Walker Brothers,
Accadde A,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Reagan Youth,
Saccharine Trust,
Rufus Thomas,
Toni Rubio,
Basic Channel,
Barrington Levy,
Pere Ubu,
the Fania All-Stars,
Model 500,
Jawbox,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Organ,
Buzzcocks,
Harpers Bizarre,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Ituana,
Sonny Sharrock,
Derrick May,
The Leaves,
Terry Callier,
Hot Snakes,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Barbara Tucker,
Scott Walker,
The Buckinghams,
Bang On A Can,
Gang Starr,
PIL,
Rakim,
Smog,
Electric Prunes,
Skarface,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill, Andrew Hill.
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.