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 Laos and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 Cairo and Salvador.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Teenage Jesus and the Jerks to the grime kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Gerry Rafferty. All the underground hits.
All Half Japanese tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Michelle Simonal record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord 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 oboe and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Quadrant,
Altered Images,
Shoche,
Joy Division,
Avey Tare,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Metal Thangz,
Crispy Ambulance,
Supertramp,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Country Teasers,
The Martian,
Barrington Levy,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Dual Sessions,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
T. Rex,
Harpers Bizarre,
The J.B.'s,
H. Thieme,
Nico,
Hoover,
Japan,
Todd Rundgren,
Kas Product,
Banda Bassotti,
The Vogues,
The Selecter,
Talk Talk,
The Fugs,
Matthew Bourne,
Radio Birdman,
Eric B and Rakim,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Lakeside,
The Dirtbombs,
Piero Umiliani,
Bluetip,
John Cale,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Bronski Beat,
Lyres,
Scrapy,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Music Machine,
Groovy Waters,
Scan 7,
Peter and Kerry,
The Seeds,
Ronan,
Silicon Teens,
DNA,
Gregory Isaacs,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Gerry Rafferty,
Max Romeo,
Ornette Coleman,
Soul II Soul,
Accadde A,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Vladislav Delay,
Morten Harket,
John Coltrane, John Coltrane, John Coltrane, John Coltrane.
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.