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 Cyprus and from Spokane.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Matthew Bourne to the jazz kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz. All the underground hits.
All Ituana tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nation of Ulysses record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Raincoats record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Evens,
Kenny Larkin,
Pagans,
Iggy Pop,
Cheater Slicks,
EPMD,
Camouflage,
Tropical Tobacco,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Stiv Bators,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Wake,
Absolute Body Control,
Dennis Brown,
The Smoke,
Television Personalities,
Bizarre Inc.,
Niagra,
The Mummies,
The Cowsills,
Morten Harket,
Danielle Patucci,
Harmonia,
Gang of Four,
Moby Grape,
Lou Reed,
Deakin,
Mission of Burma,
Ludus,
Lindisfarne,
Stetsasonic,
Minutemen,
Kerri Chandler,
Black Moon,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Arcadia,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Gil Scott Heron,
Hot Snakes,
Patti Smith,
Tres Demented,
Warsaw,
Jawbox,
Surgeon,
the Slits,
Robert Wyatt,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Spandau Ballet,
The Blues Magoos,
Bobby Byrd,
Drexciya,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
DNA,
Mad Mike,
The Golliwogs,
Crispy Ambulance,
Piero Umiliani,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Neil Young,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses.
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.