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 Ivory Coast and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the 808 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 Prince Buster to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Toni Rubio. All the underground hits.
All Flamin' Groovies tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every David Bowie record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Liliput record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
China Crisis,
Pantytec,
Anthony Braxton,
X-102,
Spoonie Gee,
Jawbox,
Robert Görl,
JFA,
Zapp,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Slick Rick,
Fear,
Mars,
Isaac Hayes,
The Gories,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
The Slackers,
Donny Hathaway,
The Zeros,
Tommy Roe,
Henry Cow,
Minny Pops,
Junior Murvin,
Outsiders,
Michelle Simonal,
Andrew Hill,
Popol Vuh,
CMW,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Slave,
EPMD,
Stetsasonic,
Peter & Gordon,
Aural Exciters,
The Five Americans,
Letta Mbulu,
LL Cool J,
Animal Collective,
Blake Baxter,
Rhythm & Sound,
Mission of Burma,
Alice Coltrane,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Mo-Dettes,
Warsaw,
Quantec,
The Monochrome Set,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
the Human League,
H. Thieme,
Sister Nancy,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sixth Finger,
The Sonics,
Idris Muhammad,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Mad Mike,
Icehouse,
Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange.
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.