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 Palau 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 Sao Paulo and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 One Last Wish to the crunk 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 Ultra Naté. All the underground hits.
All Ash Ra Tempel tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Human League 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 synthesizer and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pere Ubu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tubeway Army,
Oneida,
Desert Stars,
Warsaw,
The Star Department,
Amon Düül,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Gabor Szabo,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
The American Breed,
Mantronix,
Junior Murvin,
Agitation Free,
X-101,
Aural Exciters,
Scan 7,
Crime,
Maurizio,
the Bar-Kays,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Quadrant,
Drexciya,
The Doors,
Niagra,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Beasts of Bourbon,
The Fugs,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Crispian St. Peters,
LL Cool J,
Second Layer,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Ossler,
Robert Wyatt,
Danielle Patucci,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Bobby Womack,
Blake Baxter,
Los Fastidios,
The Smiths,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Grandmaster Flash,
Darondo,
Blancmange,
Fear,
The Moody Blues,
Infiniti,
The Raincoats,
Chris Corsano,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Yazoo,
Derrick Morgan,
Heaven 17,
The Offenders,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Lakeside,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Bill Near, Bill Near, Bill Near, Bill Near.
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.