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 Ukraine and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Lower 48 to the grime kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan. All the underground hits.
All Lucky Dragons tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Das Ding record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Five Americans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sonny Sharrock,
a-ha,
Radiohead,
Cheater Slicks,
Bill Near,
Lebanon Hanover,
Reagan Youth,
Can,
The United States of America,
Spandau Ballet,
The Blues Magoos,
Pierre Henry,
Skaos,
Mantronix,
Todd Rundgren,
Alphaville,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
the Association,
Qualms,
Soul Sonic Force,
Sixth Finger,
The Star Department,
Camouflage,
Grandmaster Flash,
Lee Hazlewood,
Sparks,
The Buckinghams,
Scion,
Fluxion,
Maleditus Sound,
Darondo,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Knickerbockers,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Kas Product,
Public Enemy,
The Doors,
Marc Almond,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Anakelly,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
The Five Americans,
Patti Smith,
Laurel Aitken,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Jacob Miller,
Colin Newman,
Monolake,
Aaron Thompson,
Arab on Radar,
B.T. Express,
Chris & Cosey,
Desert Stars,
Metal Thangz,
Stetsasonic,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Sugar Minott,
Schoolly D, Schoolly D, Schoolly D, Schoolly D.
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.