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 Japan and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1967 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Offenders to the jazz 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 Television Personalities. All the underground hits.
All the Sonics tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scientists 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 guitar and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Birthday Party record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
New Order,
Eden Ahbez,
Buzzcocks,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
X-101,
Ultravox,
Alton Ellis,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Toni Rubio,
Kurtis Blow,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Japan,
Minutemen,
ABC,
The Dave Clark Five,
Model 500,
The Stooges,
Letta Mbulu,
Bad Manners,
Robert Wyatt,
Tom Boy,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Roger Hodgson,
Harmonia,
The Grass Roots,
The Gories,
The Blackbyrds,
Davy DMX,
Fat Boys,
Rekid,
The Gladiators,
DJ Style,
Livin' Joy,
Scientists,
Grey Daturas,
the Human League,
Todd Terry,
Clear Light,
Crispy Ambulance,
Ludus,
Black Moon,
Marmalade,
The Raincoats,
Jacques Brel,
Pantaleimon,
Tubeway Army,
Nico,
The Skatalites,
Sandy B,
Porter Ricks,
Scott Walker,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Zeros,
Aloha Tigers,
Susan Cadogan,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Unwound,
U.S. Maple,
Patti Smith,
Lungfish, Lungfish, Lungfish, Lungfish.
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.