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 Nigeria and from Winnipeg.
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 1965 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the theremin 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 Urselle to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Leonard Cohen. All the underground hits.
All Harpers Bizarre tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Graham Central Station record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Junior Murvin,
Thee Headcoats,
Slick Rick,
Lalo Schifrin,
Albert Ayler,
Dark Day,
These Immortal Souls,
Blancmange,
The Moody Blues,
Gerry Rafferty,
Sun Ra,
Lalann,
The Associates,
Girls At Our Best!,
Toni Rubio,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Sparks,
Rhythm & Sound,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Terry Callier,
The Skatalites,
Matthew Halsall,
Roger Hodgson,
The Fall,
Country Teasers,
The Blackbyrds,
Neil Young,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Chrome,
Shuggie Otis,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Brand Nubian,
Fluxion,
R.M.O.,
The Cramps,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Eve St. Jones,
Darondo,
Erykah Badu,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Pierre Henry,
Electric Prunes,
Archie Shepp,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Eddi Front,
Joensuu 1685,
Soft Machine,
Lakeside,
The Beau Brummels,
Minor Threat,
The Gladiators,
Silicon Teens,
Youth Brigade,
Barbara Tucker,
The Modern Lovers,
Drive Like Jehu,
Stockholm Monsters,
The Buckinghams, The Buckinghams, The Buckinghams, The Buckinghams.
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.