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 Malawi and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 Sandy B to the grunge 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 Deadbeat. All the underground hits.
All Jerry's Kids tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Moon 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Organ record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Alphaville,
Section 25,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Sunsets and Hearts,
CMW,
EPMD,
Warsaw,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Crispy Ambulance,
the Germs,
The Grass Roots,
Brand Nubian,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
The New Christs,
Prince Buster,
The Trojans,
Fela Kuti,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Scientists,
Donald Byrd,
Ohio Players,
The Dave Clark Five,
Babytalk,
Johnny Osbourne,
Graham Central Station,
Derrick Morgan,
Echospace,
Nirvana,
Isaac Hayes,
Minor Threat,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Alton Ellis,
Warren Ellis,
David Axelrod,
Kas Product,
Livin' Joy,
Neil Young,
Johnny Clarke,
The Raincoats,
Todd Terry,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Rufus Thomas,
Franke,
Kevin Saunderson,
Piero Umiliani,
Bauhaus,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
L. Decosne,
Wally Richardson,
Kayak,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Faraquet,
Wings,
Letta Mbulu,
Flipper,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Gregory Isaacs,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Flash Fearless,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Vladislav Delay, Vladislav Delay, Vladislav Delay, Vladislav Delay.
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.