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 Burkina and from Seoul.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1965 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 arpeggiator 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 Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud to the funk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Selecter. All the underground hits.
All Gian Franco Pienzio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Siglo XX 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an organ 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 synthesizer and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ronan,
Urselle,
The Misunderstood,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Bronski Beat,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Andrew Hill,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Jandek,
Cecil Taylor,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Underground Resistance,
Leonard Cohen,
Wings,
Sexual Harrassment,
Brick,
The Residents,
Infiniti,
Sonny Sharrock,
the Fania All-Stars,
ABC,
Jeff Lynne,
John Lydon,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Tears for Fears,
Sonic Youth,
Eden Ahbez,
The Toasters,
48th St. Collective,
Mr. Review,
Swans,
Fela Kuti,
Howard Jones,
Joyce Sims,
Crispy Ambulance,
New Age Steppers,
Crispian St. Peters,
Glambeats Corp.,
Tubeway Army,
Sight & Sound,
F. McDonald,
This Heat,
The Star Department,
Matthew Bourne,
The Dead C,
Bill Wells,
Yellowson,
Little Man,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Aloha Tigers,
Prince Buster,
Pussy Galore,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Arab on Radar,
The Divine Comedy,
Fatback Band,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Sarah Menescal,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Toni Rubio,
Faust, Faust, Faust, Faust.
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.