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 Haiti and from Manchester.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 mellotron 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 Big Daddy Kane to the techno 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 Absolute Body Control. All the underground hits.
All The Names tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Traffic Nightmare 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Be Bop Deluxe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Albert Ayler,
Johnny Osbourne,
Anthony Braxton,
Toni Rubio,
Jandek,
Gang Gang Dance,
Piero Umiliani,
Darondo,
Pierre Henry,
Outsiders,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Busters,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Soulsonic Force,
The Blackbyrds,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Simply Red,
Average White Band,
Morten Harket,
The Martian,
Johnny Clarke,
The Tremeloes,
Mars,
New York Dolls,
Chris & Cosey,
Hasil Adkins,
Don Cherry,
Heaven 17,
David Axelrod,
Con Funk Shun,
Parry Music,
Sällskapet,
Chrome,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Harpers Bizarre,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Whodini,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Nils Olav,
Scion,
Lebanon Hanover,
Qualms,
Arthur Verocai,
Zero Boys,
Harmonia,
Minnie Riperton,
Amazonics,
Gang Green,
Dead Boys,
New Age Steppers,
X-102,
The American Breed,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Fall,
Television,
Goldenarms,
Josef K,
48th St. Collective,
The Smoke,
The Red Krayola,
Henry Cow,
Gang Starr, Gang Starr, Gang Starr, Gang Starr.
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.