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 Iceland and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Alice Coltrane to the rap kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Yusef Lateef. All the underground hits.
All Pulsallama tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Art Ensemble Of Chicago record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Drive Like Jehu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Neu!,
Fear,
Subhumans,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
The Standells,
Jandek,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Marmalade,
Yazoo,
Accadde A,
Fatback Band,
CMW,
Main Source,
Sun Ra,
Tropical Tobacco,
Wire,
Neil Young,
Danielle Patucci,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Quando Quango,
The Skatalites,
Prince Buster,
The Cowsills,
Underground Resistance,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Jeff Lynne,
Mo-Dettes,
Whodini,
Intrusion,
Arab on Radar,
Theoretical Girls,
Robert Hood,
Man Parrish,
The Fuzztones,
The Fugs,
Visage,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The Count Five,
Isaac Hayes,
Robert Görl,
Chrome,
Jacob Miller,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Radio Birdman,
Bang On A Can,
The Alarm Clocks,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Archie Shepp,
Piero Umiliani,
Youth Brigade,
The Birthday Party,
Mission of Burma,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Yellowson,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
June Days,
Johnny Clarke,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Slits,
Sister Nancy,
Curtis Mayfield, Curtis Mayfield, Curtis Mayfield, Curtis Mayfield.
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.