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 South Sudan and from Delhi.
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 1964 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 808 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 Justin Hinds & The Dominoes to the electroclash 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 Searchers. All the underground hits.
All Whodini tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every MDC record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Don Cherry record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Dirtbombs,
June Days,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Con Funk Shun,
Tropical Tobacco,
Dual Sessions,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Knickerbockers,
The Searchers,
The Evens,
Joyce Sims,
Jandek,
Newcleus,
Schoolly D,
Erykah Badu,
Mantronix,
Kas Product,
The Cramps,
Thompson Twins,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Little Man,
Urselle,
Black Flag,
Circle Jerks,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Sun City Girls,
Sam Rivers,
Grey Daturas,
Terrestrial Tones,
LL Cool J,
Roger Hodgson,
Nirvana,
Eden Ahbez,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Birthday Party,
Marvin Gaye,
Rosa Yemen,
Lower 48,
The Young Rascals,
Matthew Bourne,
Soft Cell,
the Soft Cell,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Names,
48th St. Collective,
the Association,
A Certain Ratio,
Public Image Ltd.,
John Cale,
Crooked Eye,
Max Romeo,
Fad Gadget,
Chrome,
Sunsets and Hearts,
New Order,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Qualms,
Tubeway Army,
This Heat,
Man Eating Sloth, Man Eating Sloth, Man Eating Sloth, Man Eating Sloth.
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.