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 South Sudan and from Shanghai.
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 1963 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Hasil Adkins to the techno kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Tommy Roe. All the underground hits.
All Pole tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ralphi Rosario 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 '50s 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 Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nico,
Qualms,
Josef K,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Kevin Saunderson,
48th St. Collective,
Outsiders,
Alton Ellis,
The Saints,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Quadrant,
Ituana,
The Dead C,
Thee Headcoats,
Symarip,
Flamin' Groovies,
AZ,
Alphaville,
Talk Talk,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Lebanon Hanover,
Minutemen,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Cymande,
Pulsallama,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
the Soft Cell,
Drexciya,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Deakin,
Alice Coltrane,
Monks,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Young Rascals,
Donny Hathaway,
Darondo,
Kool Moe Dee,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Bluetip,
Deepchord,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
the Fania All-Stars,
Jawbox,
Procol Harum,
David McCallum,
Metal Thangz,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Tubeway Army,
Sun Ra,
Icehouse,
Rod Modell,
the Bar-Kays,
Make Up,
ABC,
Zapp,
Skaos,
The Divine Comedy,
The Toasters,
Tommy Roe,
New Age Steppers,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Pretty Things,
The Star Department,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Half Japanese, Half Japanese, Half Japanese, Half Japanese.
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.