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 Mauritania and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Man Eating Sloth to the techno kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Spoonie Gee. All the underground hits.
All La Düsseldorf tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Peanut Butter Conspiracy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a chamberlin 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 snare and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Coltrane,
LL Cool J,
the Human League,
The Martian,
Fugazi,
The Dead C,
Monks,
10cc,
Franke,
Flamin' Groovies,
Quando Quango,
Scientists,
Essential Logic,
Von Mondo,
Cal Tjader,
Television Personalities,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Lucky Dragons,
Sugar Minott,
The Smoke,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
DNA,
The Residents,
Laurel Aitken,
The Names,
Ponytail,
Gregory Isaacs,
Ornette Coleman,
Chris & Cosey,
KRS-One,
Drive Like Jehu,
Bobby Byrd,
The Young Rascals,
Minnie Riperton,
Hasil Adkins,
Sound Behaviour,
The Pretty Things,
Icehouse,
Rites of Spring,
Joy Division,
Index,
Darondo,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Andrew Hill,
The Trojans,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Lebanon Hanover,
Ronnie Foster,
8 Eyed Spy,
Leonard Cohen,
Jimmy McGriff,
Althea and Donna,
The Gladiators,
Iggy Pop,
Slick Rick,
The Victims,
MDC,
Minny Pops,
The Detroit Cobras,
Aswad,
Eden Ahbez,
One Last Wish,
Eric B and Rakim,
Country Teasers, Country Teasers, Country Teasers, Country Teasers.
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.