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 Mauritius and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 guitar 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 Fad Gadget to the electroclash 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 Drive Like Jehu. All the underground hits.
All June Days tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lucky Dragons 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a John Cale record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Vainqueur,
Ohio Players,
Mr. Review,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Wally Richardson,
Fugazi,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Charles Mingus,
Moebius,
Sister Nancy,
Motorama,
The New Christs,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Bronski Beat,
The Last Poets,
Black Moon,
Stetsasonic,
Amon Düül II,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Babytalk,
Curtis Mayfield,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Black Sheep,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Quando Quango,
Freddie Wadling,
Icehouse,
The Mojo Men,
FM Einheit,
Spandau Ballet,
The Saints,
Dennis Brown,
Marc Almond,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Trumans Water,
Supertramp,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Camberwell Now,
Porter Ricks,
Roxy Music,
Eve St. Jones,
The Toasters,
The Red Krayola,
DNA,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Main Source,
Thompson Twins,
Todd Terry,
The Tremeloes,
Hashim,
Arcadia,
Judy Mowatt,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks.
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.