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 Uzbekistan and from Portland.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Kenny Larkin 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 Donald Byrd. All the underground hits.
All A Certain Ratio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Metal Thangz 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ken Boothe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a chamberlin.
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,
T. Rex,
Cluster,
John Cale,
Sandy B,
Visage,
Scan 7,
Skarface,
The Doobie Brothers,
Zapp,
The Fuzztones,
Bad Manners,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
ABC,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Maleditus Sound,
Marcia Griffiths,
Iggy Pop,
Model 500,
Man Eating Sloth,
Bronski Beat,
Inner City,
Lalann,
the Association,
Black Moon,
Cal Tjader,
Negative Approach,
The Knickerbockers,
Moss Icon,
John Foxx,
MDC,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Jerry's Kids,
Make Up,
Throbbing Gristle,
10cc,
Skriet,
The Velvet Underground,
Reuben Wilson,
Sun Ra,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Cramps,
Rosa Yemen,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Stockholm Monsters,
Suicide,
Yaz,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Moebius,
Grauzone,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Tremeloes,
DNA,
Bluetip,
Cheater Slicks,
The New Christs,
Kool Moe Dee,
Amon Düül,
Dave Gahan,
the Germs,
The Standells,
Organ, Organ, Organ, Organ.
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.