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 Djibouti and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1960 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 linndrum 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 Bobby Sherman to the punk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Associates. All the underground hits.
All The Cramps tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Reagan Youth 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 rhodes and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a London Community Gospel Choir record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Beasts of Bourbon,
Rhythm & Sound,
Symarip,
Sun City Girls,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Bang On A Can,
Thompson Twins,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Jacob Miller,
the Fania All-Stars,
Maurizio,
the Sonics,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Slits,
Terrestrial Tones,
Patti Smith,
Make Up,
Kurtis Blow,
Freddie Wadling,
Grey Daturas,
Sparks,
Gerry Rafferty,
Hoover,
Tomorrow,
Intrusion,
Gil Scott Heron,
Gabor Szabo,
Sam Rivers,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Bob Dylan,
Magma,
Faust,
Radio Birdman,
James White and The Blacks,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Brass Construction,
Icehouse,
Slick Rick,
Bluetip,
Alice Coltrane,
X-Ray Spex,
Neil Young,
The Motions,
Youth Brigade,
Idris Muhammad,
The Velvet Underground,
The Alarm Clocks,
the Slits,
Arab on Radar,
48th St. Collective,
Babytalk,
Visage,
Gong,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Clear Light,
Bobby Womack,
Matthew Bourne,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Lower 48,
June Days,
David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod.
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.