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 Guinea and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Bang On A Can to the rap 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 Minor Threat. All the underground hits.
All Harmonia tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every a-ha record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a snare 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 oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Soulsonic Force,
the Normal,
Man Parrish,
In Retrospect,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Minny Pops,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Drexciya,
Dark Day,
Black Moon,
The Modern Lovers,
Kaleidoscope,
Gastr Del Sol,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Babytalk,
Metal Thangz,
Joe Finger,
Brothers Johnson,
Mark Hollis,
Lower 48,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Lyres,
Sam Rivers,
Chrome,
Iggy Pop,
Piero Umiliani,
The Mummies,
cv313,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
E-Dancer,
The Remains,
Scion,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Stockholm Monsters,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Clear Light,
A Certain Ratio,
The Flesh Eaters,
Crooked Eye,
Susan Cadogan,
Sixth Finger,
Y Pants,
The Zeros,
Sly & The Family Stone,
OOIOO,
Whodini,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
John Lydon,
Siglo XX,
Josef K,
Bobby Womack,
Rakim,
Marvin Gaye,
Prince Buster,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Yazoo,
Scrapy,
The Offenders,
Royal Trux,
The Trojans,
Minor Threat, Minor Threat, Minor Threat, Minor Threat.
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.