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 Somalia and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1968 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 The Chocolate Watch Band to the rap kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Los Fastidios. All the underground hits.
All The Doors tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Wasted Youth 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang on a Can All-Stars record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Skarface,
the Swans,
Porter Ricks,
Gang Gang Dance,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The American Breed,
The Happenings,
Terry Callier,
Mission of Burma,
Bizarre Inc.,
DJ Style,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Kerri Chandler,
the Association,
Yusef Lateef,
Tim Buckley,
The Dead C,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Divine Comedy,
Sällskapet,
Kurtis Blow,
Ice-T,
Black Bananas,
Dual Sessions,
The Sonics,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Cure,
Bluetip,
Sarah Menescal,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Eric B and Rakim,
Bobby Byrd,
David Axelrod,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
David Bowie,
X-102,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Wake,
Maleditus Sound,
AZ,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Donald Byrd,
The Gun Club,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Cal Tjader,
Dead Boys,
Half Japanese,
Rekid,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
OOIOO,
MDC,
Q65,
Procol Harum,
The Searchers,
Warsaw,
June Days,
Khruangbin,
Jeff Lynne,
Model 500,
The Knickerbockers,
CMW, CMW, CMW, CMW.
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.