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 Philippines and from Cairo.
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 1961 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Richard Hell and the Voidoids to the grime 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 Jacob Miller. All the underground hits.
All the Soft Cell tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Glenn Branca record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pantaleimon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Altered Images,
Lakeside,
The Beau Brummels,
Ornette Coleman,
The Sonics,
The Techniques,
Judy Mowatt,
Pole,
Derrick May,
The Count Five,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Chrome,
The United States of America,
Deadbeat,
Kerrie Biddell,
Groovy Waters,
Basic Channel,
Schoolly D,
Slick Rick,
Tres Demented,
The Associates,
MC5,
48th St. Collective,
Negative Approach,
Gang Green,
Barry Ungar,
Lucky Dragons,
The Detroit Cobras,
Flamin' Groovies,
Spoonie Gee,
Bauhaus,
Boredoms,
Joe Smooth,
Ken Boothe,
Pharoah Sanders,
John Cale,
Blancmange,
Alton Ellis,
Fad Gadget,
Jacques Brel,
Mars,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Black Flag,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Pop Group,
Reagan Youth,
the Association,
Arthur Verocai,
Dennis Brown,
H. Thieme,
Monolake,
Bobby Womack,
The Vogues,
Donny Hathaway,
Ten City,
Tim Buckley,
Malaria!,
The Move,
Icehouse,
A Certain Ratio,
Scientists, Scientists, Scientists, Scientists.
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.