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 Libya and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 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 Terrestrial Tones to the punk 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 Theoretical Girls. All the underground hits.
All Bang on a Can All-Stars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every AZ 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Maleditus Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eric Dolphy,
Sandy B,
Pylon,
Marine Girls,
Quando Quango,
Kaleidoscope,
Grey Daturas,
Cal Tjader,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
These Immortal Souls,
The Happenings,
Royal Trux,
Unwound,
Rhythm & Sound,
CMW,
Mr. Review,
The Golliwogs,
Roy Ayers,
The Buckinghams,
Agitation Free,
the Association,
Amazonics,
The Invisible,
Bizarre Inc.,
Minnie Riperton,
Yazoo,
Q65,
Gichy Dan,
Nik Kershaw,
Average White Band,
Siglo XX,
The Angels of Light,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Aloha Tigers,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Henry Cow,
Rotary Connection,
Little Man,
Gang Gang Dance,
Roxy Music,
Tres Demented,
Bronski Beat,
The American Breed,
Audionom,
Soft Cell,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Dennis Brown,
KRS-One,
Whodini,
Connie Case,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Drexciya,
Bob Dylan,
Skarface,
The Zeros,
The Flesh Eaters,
Moby Grape,
Robert Görl,
Ronan,
Black Bananas,
Mark Hollis,
Eddi Front,
The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs.
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.