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 Vanuatu and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 Houston and Beijing.
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 The J.B.'s 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 Swans. All the underground hits.
All Flamin' Groovies tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Selector Dub Narcotic record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a MDC record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Godley & Creme,
The Happenings,
The Five Americans,
Joy Division,
DJ Sneak,
Pagans,
John Foxx,
The Cramps,
Todd Terry,
Juan Atkins,
the Slits,
Laurel Aitken,
Model 500,
Bluetip,
Stereo Dub,
David McCallum,
The Sonics,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Monolake,
Skarface,
Lee Hazlewood,
Davy DMX,
Bill Wells,
Can,
Connie Case,
Sam Rivers,
Sister Nancy,
Bill Near,
Ponytail,
Ornette Coleman,
Kenny Larkin,
Flamin' Groovies,
In Retrospect,
Public Image Ltd.,
Lungfish,
Big Daddy Kane,
Bob Dylan,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Franke,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
the Association,
Gichy Dan,
Yazoo,
Procol Harum,
John Holt,
Mo-Dettes,
The Selecter,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Byron Stingily,
Monks,
The Last Poets,
Dead Boys,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Angry Samoans,
Talk Talk,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Eli Mardock,
The Tremeloes,
The Count Five,
The Black Dice,
Camouflage,
Au Pairs,
Das Ding, Das Ding, Das Ding, Das Ding.
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.