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 Sri Lanka and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Rahsaan Roland Kirk to the grunge 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 Little Man. All the underground hits.
All Lucky Dragons tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Justin Hinds & The Dominoes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bad Manners record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Black Bananas,
The Dave Clark Five,
David McCallum,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Jacob Miller,
Jesper Dahlback,
Accadde A,
Warren Ellis,
Radiopuhelimet,
Pantaleimon,
Ronnie Foster,
Make Up,
Juan Atkins,
Frankie Knuckles,
Shuggie Otis,
Arthur Verocai,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Soft Cell,
Moby Grape,
Bauhaus,
Das Ding,
Slick Rick,
Piero Umiliani,
Aswad,
Heaven 17,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Todd Terry,
Cymande,
Negative Approach,
Matthew Halsall,
Second Layer,
Inner City,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Todd Rundgren,
These Immortal Souls,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Symarip,
The Wake,
David Bowie,
ABC,
Reuben Wilson,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Davy DMX,
Mary Jane Girls,
Talk Talk,
The Victims,
Aloha Tigers,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Happenings,
Stiv Bators,
Charles Mingus,
Television,
Spoonie Gee,
Fat Boys,
The Mojo Men,
Vladislav Delay,
Bronski Beat,
Public Image Ltd.,
Young Marble Giants,
Bobby Byrd,
X-101,
Nils Olav,
Hot Snakes,
Kerri Chandler, Kerri Chandler, Kerri Chandler, Kerri Chandler.
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.