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 Eritrea and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Pop Group to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Gil Scott Heron. All the underground hits.
All Simply Red tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Johnny Clarke record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a synthesizer 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 sitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Dark Day,
The Techniques,
Outsiders,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Japan,
Parry Music,
The Move,
The Motions,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
X-102,
Lyres,
Fela Kuti,
Rod Modell,
Gerry Rafferty,
Nico,
Wolf Eyes,
Black Pus,
Black Sheep,
Alice Coltrane,
ABC,
Crash Course in Science,
Adolescents,
Audionom,
Subhumans,
Jawbox,
The Red Krayola,
Ultra Naté,
John Foxx,
Bootsy Collins,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Pantytec,
Ken Boothe,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Unwound,
Guru Guru,
Kevin Saunderson,
Andrew Hill,
Sonic Youth,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Sarah Menescal,
Camberwell Now,
The Blues Magoos,
Max Romeo,
The Smiths,
Bobby Womack,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Monolake,
The Grass Roots,
Tom Boy,
Fluxion,
Jacques Brel,
The Slits,
MC5,
Urselle,
Roxy Music,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Byron Stingily,
Black Bananas,
Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers.
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.