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 South Africa and from Madrid.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Winnipeg 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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Men They Couldn't Hang to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 U.S. Maple. All the underground hits.
All Crime tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kango’s Stein Massive record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 marimba and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a the Normal record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Dead Boys,
Underground Resistance,
Laurel Aitken,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Jerry's Kids,
Black Bananas,
Lalann,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Minny Pops,
Kerri Chandler,
Max Romeo,
Donald Byrd,
Swans,
Ituana,
Bill Near,
Model 500,
Half Japanese,
The Evens,
E-Dancer,
Cal Tjader,
Eden Ahbez,
Eurythmics,
Fugazi,
Sarah Menescal,
Panda Bear,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Newcleus,
48th St. Collective,
Johnny Osbourne,
Oneida,
Audionom,
Stetsasonic,
Peter and Kerry,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Rod Modell,
Godley & Creme,
Drive Like Jehu,
Black Sheep,
Suicide,
Spoonie Gee,
Barry Ungar,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Mission of Burma,
Peter & Gordon,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Moss Icon,
Pantaleimon,
Ralphi Rosario,
Todd Terry,
Jeru the Damaja,
In Retrospect,
Nas,
The Cosmic Jokers,
the Sonics,
Rufus Thomas,
The Cowsills,
Monks,
Hoover, Hoover, Hoover, Hoover.
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.