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 Belize and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 The Walker Brothers to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Bronski Beat. All the underground hits.
All Gang Gang Dance tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Outsiders 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a guitar 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 synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lalo Schifrin,
Boredoms,
Lucky Dragons,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Mission of Burma,
The Martian,
Newcleus,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Frankie Knuckles,
Max Romeo,
The Tremeloes,
Ten City,
Blancmange,
Japan,
Black Pus,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Barry Ungar,
8 Eyed Spy,
Flipper,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Man Eating Sloth,
Drexciya,
John Lydon,
The Stooges,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Livin' Joy,
The Fugs,
Prince Buster,
The Invisible,
Cheater Slicks,
the Soft Cell,
Con Funk Shun,
Tomorrow,
Letta Mbulu,
Schoolly D,
Section 25,
X-101,
Dawn Penn,
The Velvet Underground,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Franke,
Bronski Beat,
Lyres,
Lindisfarne,
Scan 7,
Brothers Johnson,
Clear Light,
Goldenarms,
Sister Nancy,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Babytalk,
Bush Tetras,
Bad Manners,
Popol Vuh,
Black Flag,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Wire,
Ponytail,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Delon & Dalcan,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Gregory Isaacs, Gregory Isaacs, Gregory Isaacs, Gregory Isaacs.
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.