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 Dominica and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1964 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Anthony Braxton to the rock 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 John Lydon. All the underground hits.
All Roxy Music tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rekid 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a 808 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 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Moleskins,
The Divine Comedy,
Half Japanese,
Toni Rubio,
Tomorrow,
Joey Negro,
John Coltrane,
The Beau Brummels,
Quando Quango,
the Swans,
Al Stewart,
Bobby Byrd,
Simply Red,
These Immortal Souls,
Derrick May,
Adolescents,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
DJ Sneak,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Roy Ayers,
The Buckinghams,
John Cale,
Rotary Connection,
Radiohead,
Godley & Creme,
Curtis Mayfield,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Sound,
Joensuu 1685,
Organ,
cv313,
Niagra,
Terrestrial Tones,
Angry Samoans,
Pagans,
Gabor Szabo,
Loose Ends,
the Fania All-Stars,
Grandmaster Flash,
Swans,
Scion,
Rhythm & Sound,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Joy Division,
Slick Rick,
Eric Copeland,
Robert Görl,
Marshall Jefferson,
Eric B and Rakim,
Marc Almond,
The Birthday Party,
Cymande,
Cecil Taylor,
Television,
Dennis Brown,
Scan 7,
Laurel Aitken,
Q65,
Roxy Music,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
FM Einheit, FM Einheit, FM Einheit, FM Einheit.
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.