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 Lebanon and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Chic show in New York.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 spring reverb 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 Fear to the punk 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 Dead Boys. All the underground hits.
All Niagra tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Avey Tare 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bill Wells record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Neil Young,
48th St. Collective,
Franke,
Derrick Morgan,
Little Man,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Youth Brigade,
The Stooges,
ABBA,
Byron Stingily,
Colin Newman,
Massinfluence,
The Barracudas,
X-101,
Glenn Branca,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Rekid,
Wings,
F. McDonald,
Shoche,
Sam Rivers,
Lower 48,
Rufus Thomas,
Blossom Toes,
Monks,
Gastr Del Sol,
Supertramp,
Jawbox,
Bush Tetras,
World's Most,
LL Cool J,
Tomorrow,
Scratch Acid,
Anakelly,
Eric Copeland,
Yaz,
DJ Style,
Jeru the Damaja,
Mantronix,
Second Layer,
The Slackers,
Rosa Yemen,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Nick Fraelich,
Shuggie Otis,
Barry Ungar,
Letta Mbulu,
JFA,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Music Machine,
R.M.O.,
John Cale,
Trumans Water,
Buzzcocks,
Fad Gadget,
Sarah Menescal,
Sister Nancy, Sister Nancy, Sister Nancy, Sister Nancy.
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.