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 Syria and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 808 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 Vogues to the disco kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 JFA. All the underground hits.
All Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scion record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 theremin and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Fatback Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Fire Engines,
The Angels of Light,
Dead Boys,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Bob Dylan,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Inner City,
The J.B.'s,
Nico,
Tubeway Army,
Lalo Schifrin,
Glenn Branca,
Mandrill,
Harpers Bizarre,
Lee Hazlewood,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Mojo Men,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Doobie Brothers,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Shoche,
Television Personalities,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Minny Pops,
The Motions,
Arcadia,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
The Walker Brothers,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Blancmange,
China Crisis,
Rufus Thomas,
Freddie Wadling,
Marmalade,
Godley & Creme,
Fad Gadget,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Fall,
The Real Kids,
The Red Krayola,
Bad Manners,
Kevin Saunderson,
Ohio Players,
Nik Kershaw,
Brothers Johnson,
Dual Sessions,
Accadde A,
Bobby Sherman,
Connie Case,
Joe Smooth,
Colin Newman,
Rapeman,
Grauzone,
Yaz,
Neu!,
Lindisfarne,
Jerry's Kids,
Chrome,
Monolake,
Tommy Roe, Tommy Roe, Tommy Roe, Tommy Roe.
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.