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 Seychelles and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 chamberlin 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 Ken Boothe to the disco 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 Kurtis Blow. All the underground hits.
All Neu! tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pussy Galore 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Roger Hodgson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Donny Hathaway,
Letta Mbulu,
Lou Christie,
Swell Maps,
Wally Richardson,
Stockholm Monsters,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Avey Tare,
CMW,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Sound,
Lucky Dragons,
Sam Rivers,
Thee Headcoats,
Glenn Branca,
Oneida,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Alison Limerick,
Yusef Lateef,
Kayak,
Mantronix,
Jimmy McGriff,
Soft Cell,
Glambeats Corp.,
Grey Daturas,
Panda Bear,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Unwound,
Con Funk Shun,
Scan 7,
the Association,
Kas Product,
Circle Jerks,
Delta 5,
Second Layer,
Mad Mike,
Roxette,
Fear,
Aaron Thompson,
The Move,
Nation of Ulysses,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Davy DMX,
The Monks,
FM Einheit,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Funkadelic,
Archie Shepp,
Crooked Eye,
These Immortal Souls,
Nico,
Radio Birdman,
Aswad,
Joe Smooth,
Blake Baxter,
The Toasters,
Average White Band,
Make Up,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Tommy Roe,
Colin Newman,
Cecil Taylor,
Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan.
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.