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 Burkina and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 LL Cool J to the rock kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Mark Hollis. All the underground hits.
All Minny Pops tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mr. Review record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang on a Can All-Stars record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tropical Tobacco,
MDC,
Easy Going,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Popol Vuh,
Hashim,
The Red Krayola,
Make Up,
the Germs,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Eric B and Rakim,
Stiv Bators,
Sex Pistols,
Kaleidoscope,
a-ha,
A Certain Ratio,
CMW,
Television Personalities,
B.T. Express,
Bush Tetras,
Bill Wells,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Minor Threat,
Prince Buster,
Kerri Chandler,
The Searchers,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
The Grass Roots,
Nation of Ulysses,
Second Layer,
Marmalade,
Skaos,
Colin Newman,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Swans,
Bootsy Collins,
Television,
Danielle Patucci,
Carl Craig,
Flipper,
Wire,
Sixth Finger,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Pharoah Sanders,
The Slits,
Clear Light,
Drive Like Jehu,
ABC,
Kas Product,
Panda Bear,
Warren Ellis,
Scrapy,
Jawbox,
Joe Smooth,
Fear,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Doors,
Dead Boys,
Leonard Cohen,
Urselle,
Bad Manners, Bad Manners, Bad Manners, Bad Manners.
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.