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 Kazakhstan 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 1960 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
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 Liliput to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 the Soft Cell. All the underground hits.
All Sexual Harrassment tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Gap Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 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 organ and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Howard Jones,
Byron Stingily,
Whodini,
Nico,
Audionom,
Royal Trux,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Anakelly,
The Human League,
The Move,
Peter and Kerry,
Jawbox,
Junior Murvin,
The Slits,
Cymande,
Scan 7,
the Germs,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Unwound,
The Busters,
Theoretical Girls,
Wally Richardson,
Tres Demented,
Carl Craig,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Subhumans,
DJ Sneak,
Ossler,
The Standells,
Laurel Aitken,
Lou Reed,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Unrelated Segments,
Minor Threat,
Saccharine Trust,
K-Klass,
The Happenings,
Slave,
New Age Steppers,
Qualms,
Franke,
The Velvet Underground,
Babytalk,
Bill Near,
Lyres,
John Coltrane,
The Fortunes,
Kas Product,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
The Modern Lovers,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Groovy Waters,
The Litter,
Johnny Osbourne,
Swans,
The Beau Brummels,
Easy Going,
The Tremeloes,
Lou Christie,
Joyce Sims,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Hot Snakes,
X-Ray Spex,
Erasure, Erasure, Erasure, Erasure.
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.