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 Tuvalu and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Harpers Bizarre to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Throbbing Gristle. All the underground hits.
All Absolute Body Control tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Anakelly 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joy Division,
Albert Ayler,
Danielle Patucci,
Cybotron,
Scion,
X-Ray Spex,
Heaven 17,
PIL,
Gang of Four,
Wire,
Boogie Down Productions,
LL Cool J,
The Moleskins,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Negative Approach,
Derrick May,
Easy Going,
Intrusion,
Arthur Verocai,
Liliput,
Main Source,
Max Romeo,
10cc,
Bobby Sherman,
Oblivians,
Drive Like Jehu,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
June of 44,
Patti Smith,
Morten Harket,
Lee Hazlewood,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Wake,
Model 500,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Bob Dylan,
Idris Muhammad,
Hasil Adkins,
Matthew Halsall,
David McCallum,
Whodini,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Don Cherry,
Henry Cow,
a-ha,
Ossler,
Skriet,
Marine Girls,
Eden Ahbez,
Young Marble Giants,
The Offenders,
Saccharine Trust,
KRS-One,
Black Flag,
T. Rex,
Maleditus Sound,
Brass Construction,
Soulsonic Force,
New Age Steppers,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Techniques,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Darondo,
Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones.
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.