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 East Timor and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1969 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 arpeggiator 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 J.B.'s to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 The Pop Group. All the underground hits.
All The Pretty Things tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Donny Hathaway record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a One Last Wish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
New Order,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Stetsasonic,
Organ,
Lungfish,
Model 500,
Anthony Braxton,
Ultimate Spinach,
Scott Walker,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Lou Christie,
The Cure,
Bob Dylan,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Silicon Teens,
Archie Shepp,
Wings,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Blancmange,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Wasted Youth,
Rod Modell,
Colin Newman,
Malaria!,
The Tremeloes,
Trumans Water,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Invisible,
Darondo,
The Music Machine,
Amazonics,
Bang On A Can,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Rites of Spring,
Ituana,
Harmonia,
DNA,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Alphaville,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Sex Pistols,
Soulsonic Force,
The Shadows of Knight,
Nirvana,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Monolake,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
U.S. Maple,
Chrome,
Amon Düül,
Mark Hollis,
Cecil Taylor,
These Immortal Souls,
Nas,
Sixth Finger,
MDC,
Kaleidoscope,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Glenn Branca, Glenn Branca, Glenn Branca, Glenn Branca.
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.