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 France and from Copenhagen.
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 1963 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Michelle Simonal to the rock kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Black Flag. All the underground hits.
All The Angels of Light tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ralphi Rosario record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 linndrum and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Clear Light record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bluetip,
the Sonics,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Yusef Lateef,
Gabor Szabo,
The Flesh Eaters,
Michelle Simonal,
Erasure,
Rites of Spring,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Amon Düül,
Bronski Beat,
ABC,
cv313,
Jawbox,
Magma,
Soul Sonic Force,
Max Romeo,
The New Christs,
The Divine Comedy,
Pylon,
Al Stewart,
Youth Brigade,
Angry Samoans,
MC5,
The Blackbyrds,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Donald Byrd,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Pussy Galore,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Joyce Sims,
Oblivians,
Cluster,
Cecil Taylor,
Prince Buster,
the Fania All-Stars,
Jandek,
Zapp,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Smiths,
Radiohead,
Motorama,
The Dave Clark Five,
Monolake,
Young Marble Giants,
Sister Nancy,
Section 25,
John Cale,
The Monochrome Set,
These Immortal Souls,
Camouflage,
Blake Baxter,
Colin Newman,
Drive Like Jehu,
Gregory Isaacs,
Johnny Osbourne,
Man Eating Sloth,
Mantronix,
The Doors,
Theoretical Girls, Theoretical Girls, Theoretical Girls, Theoretical Girls.
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.