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 Cape Verde and from New York.
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 1966 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1968 at the first Can practice in a loft in Cologne.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 It's A Beautiful Day to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 DJ Sneak. All the underground hits.
All Terry Callier tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tom Boy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Main Source,
Eric B and Rakim,
Lou Reed,
Black Bananas,
The Trojans,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Fluxion,
Duran Duran,
Ornette Coleman,
Con Funk Shun,
Public Image Ltd.,
Soul II Soul,
Kerri Chandler,
Matthew Halsall,
Todd Terry,
Marvin Gaye,
Deadbeat,
The Residents,
The Angels of Light,
Mantronix,
Scion,
Fela Kuti,
Japan,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Buzzcocks,
Dead Boys,
Howard Jones,
Pussy Galore,
Donny Hathaway,
Technova,
Visage,
Bill Near,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Bush Tetras,
Jeff Lynne,
Gastr Del Sol,
E-Dancer,
The Birthday Party,
June Days,
Khruangbin,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Roy Ayers,
Joey Negro,
Absolute Body Control,
Flipper,
DJ Style,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Circle Jerks,
The J.B.'s,
Sun Ra,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Red Krayola,
Eurythmics,
Procol Harum,
Peter and Kerry,
Los Fastidios,
The Vogues,
The Neon Judgement,
Gong,
Quando Quango,
The Sound, The Sound, The Sound, The Sound.
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.