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 Botswana and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in 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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 oboe 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 Neil Young to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Jacques Brel. All the underground hits.
All E-Dancer tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sly & The Family Stone record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 theremin and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Wire record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Human League,
Marcia Griffiths,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Index,
The Sonics,
Radiopuhelimet,
Robert Hood,
Joe Smooth,
The Cure,
Pagans,
Fela Kuti,
Kurtis Blow,
Oblivians,
K-Klass,
Eli Mardock,
the Germs,
Cal Tjader,
Brothers Johnson,
Mandrill,
The Blues Magoos,
Harpers Bizarre,
Darondo,
The Durutti Column,
kango's stein massive,
Nas,
Tim Buckley,
The J.B.'s,
Gregory Isaacs,
Wolf Eyes,
Flipper,
Hardrive,
Inner City,
Hot Snakes,
Leonard Cohen,
Swans,
Yellowson,
Babytalk,
L. Decosne,
Franke,
Jesper Dahlback,
Pantytec,
The Slits,
ABBA,
H. Thieme,
Bang On A Can,
Throbbing Gristle,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Glenn Branca,
Wings,
Sun Ra,
In Retrospect,
Thompson Twins,
The Doors,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
UT,
Isaac Hayes,
Bauhaus,
Ken Boothe,
Lucky Dragons,
Marine Girls,
Yaz,
The Fugs,
Strawberry Alarm Clock, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Strawberry Alarm Clock.
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.