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 Liechtenstein and from Tehran.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 organ 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 American Breed to the dance 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 Jerry's Kids. All the underground hits.
All Television Personalities tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Last Poets record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kool G Rap & DJ Polo record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Victims,
Aural Exciters,
Procol Harum,
Stetsasonic,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Pretty Things,
Funky Four + One,
Stereo Dub,
Joe Smooth,
Byron Stingily,
Fugazi,
Blake Baxter,
Ultra Naté,
Y Pants,
Cameo,
Scott Walker,
Matthew Halsall,
Zapp,
UT,
Mary Jane Girls,
Morten Harket,
Model 500,
Reuben Wilson,
These Immortal Souls,
Jawbox,
Judy Mowatt,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Invisible,
B.T. Express,
Sight & Sound,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Cybotron,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Grass Roots,
K-Klass,
The Associates,
Mr. Review,
The Beau Brummels,
Bluetip,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Alice Coltrane,
Aaron Thompson,
Sonic Youth,
Crash Course in Science,
Althea and Donna,
Flipper,
The Neon Judgement,
Tubeway Army,
The Human League,
Moss Icon,
Peter and Kerry,
Popol Vuh,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Jesper Dahlback,
Siglo XX,
The Move,
The Moleskins,
Kerrie Biddell,
Sixth Finger,
Can,
Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus.
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.