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 Maldives and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1962 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Salvador.
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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Dirtbombs to the dance 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 The Sonics. All the underground hits.
All New Age Steppers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every the Slits record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang On A Can record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Kool Moe Dee,
48th St. Collective,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Blake Baxter,
MC5,
Bootsy Collins,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Rod Modell,
The Moody Blues,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Isaac Hayes,
Beasts of Bourbon,
London Community Gospel Choir,
the Human League,
The Human League,
Eden Ahbez,
Howard Jones,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Groovy Waters,
Crooked Eye,
Malaria!,
Ralphi Rosario,
Das Ding,
The Gap Band,
Roy Ayers,
Warsaw,
Nirvana,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Faraquet,
Pantaleimon,
Heaven 17,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Von Mondo,
Young Marble Giants,
Chris & Cosey,
the Bar-Kays,
The Dead C,
Lou Reed,
Bang On A Can,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Henry Cow,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Hot Snakes,
Brick,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Flesh Eaters,
La Düsseldorf,
The Mummies,
Curtis Mayfield,
Albert Ayler,
Main Source,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Electric Prunes,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Gun Club,
Quantec,
Slick Rick,
The Neon Judgement, The Neon Judgement, The Neon Judgement, The Neon Judgement.
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.