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 Nepal and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1964 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Accra.
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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Velvet Underground to the rock kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Frankie Knuckles. All the underground hits.
All Crispian St. Peters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Juan Atkins 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sister Nancy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Doors,
Bronski Beat,
Metal Thangz,
Marmalade,
Gichy Dan,
Ohio Players,
Gang Green,
The Five Americans,
Pole,
Organ,
Vladislav Delay,
Max Romeo,
Aswad,
The Gun Club,
Lakeside,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Eric B and Rakim,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Peter & Gordon,
Inner City,
Quando Quango,
Barbara Tucker,
the Germs,
Girls At Our Best!,
Kool Moe Dee,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Masters at Work,
Erykah Badu,
Godley & Creme,
Robert Görl,
Television,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Byron Stingily,
U.S. Maple,
Drive Like Jehu,
Quantec,
Al Stewart,
World's Most,
Public Enemy,
Eve St. Jones,
Qualms,
Hardrive,
Silicon Teens,
Todd Terry,
Pantytec,
Jawbox,
L. Decosne,
Yellowson,
Royal Trux,
Trumans Water,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Scan 7,
The Last Poets,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Lyres,
Delon & Dalcan,
Roy Ayers,
The J.B.'s,
Camouflage,
Andrew Hill,
The Star Department,
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.