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 Solomon Islands and from Madrid.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 güiro 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 Soulsonic Force 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 Lou Christie. All the underground hits.
All Camouflage tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rod Modell 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pagans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Young Rascals,
Lalo Schifrin,
James White and The Blacks,
Soul Sonic Force,
Oneida,
Ultimate Spinach,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Organ,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Bizarre Inc.,
Faust,
Cecil Taylor,
Shoche,
Rakim,
B.T. Express,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Jeff Lynne,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Golliwogs,
Visage,
Man Parrish,
Jacob Miller,
Nils Olav,
Parry Music,
Lindisfarne,
The Fuzztones,
Kayak,
Bill Near,
Drexciya,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
DJ Style,
Los Fastidios,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Main Source,
The Velvet Underground,
Deepchord,
Dave Gahan,
The Walker Brothers,
The Barracudas,
Swans,
Harpers Bizarre,
T.S.O.L.,
Make Up,
La Düsseldorf,
Donald Byrd,
Joe Smooth,
Sight & Sound,
Gang Gang Dance,
Charles Mingus,
Blake Baxter,
The Knickerbockers,
Cal Tjader,
Pantaleimon,
The Grass Roots,
Lou Reed,
Alphaville,
Letta Mbulu,
Motorama,
Bill Wells,
Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks.
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.