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 Korea North and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1964 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the rhodes 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 The Red Krayola to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Electric Prunes. All the underground hits.
All The Human League tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Siouxsie and the Banshees record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 clarinet and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sugar Minott record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Prince Buster,
Nico,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
F. McDonald,
The Wake,
John Lydon,
Pole,
Saccharine Trust,
The Raincoats,
Sonny Sharrock,
Janne Schatter,
Curtis Mayfield,
Main Source,
Subhumans,
Marine Girls,
Alison Limerick,
John Cale,
Marc Almond,
The Cramps,
Anakelly,
The Doobie Brothers,
Rotary Connection,
In Retrospect,
The Barracudas,
Fat Boys,
Cymande,
Shuggie Otis,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Modern Lovers,
Sandy B,
Quadrant,
Average White Band,
Country Teasers,
Silicon Teens,
Franke,
Bronski Beat,
Excepter,
Neu!,
Anthony Braxton,
The Human League,
Idris Muhammad,
Lightning Bolt,
Sällskapet,
Alphaville,
Boz Scaggs,
The Index,
Eve St. Jones,
Index,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Aaron Thompson,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Wally Richardson,
Quando Quango,
Sex Pistols,
Young Marble Giants,
Rekid,
Traffic Nightmare,
Smog,
Von Mondo,
Reagan Youth,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Blues Magoos, The Blues Magoos, The Blues Magoos, The Blues Magoos.
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.