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 Spain and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 Toronto and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Saints 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 The Doobie Brothers. All the underground hits.
All Terrestrial Tones tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Association record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Warren Ellis 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?
Schoolly D,
Anakelly,
Vainqueur,
Archie Shepp,
The Cowsills,
Tom Boy,
Eric Copeland,
The Smoke,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Lightning Bolt,
Bill Near,
Index,
Joey Negro,
Zero Boys,
Organ,
Todd Terry,
Au Pairs,
Ludus,
Slick Rick,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Roxy Music,
Pagans,
Nick Fraelich,
DNA,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Tremeloes,
Man Parrish,
Reagan Youth,
Glenn Branca,
The Offenders,
Sparks,
ABC,
Skarface,
Swans,
Groovy Waters,
Average White Band,
Leonard Cohen,
Cecil Taylor,
Scion,
Crispy Ambulance,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Cybotron,
Don Cherry,
Soft Machine,
Suicide,
Camouflage,
Magazine,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Von Mondo,
the Fania All-Stars,
Peter and Kerry,
Shoche,
Jerry's Kids,
Moss Icon,
Youth Brigade,
Fugazi,
The Young Rascals,
Eden Ahbez,
Y Pants,
Kurtis Blow,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel, Jacques Brel.
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.