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 Burundi and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1978.
I was there at the first Visage show in London.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Donald Byrd to the electroclash 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 Spandau Ballet. All the underground hits.
All Ralphi Rosario tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Byron Stingily record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator 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 mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Mantronix,
The Seeds,
Mission of Burma,
Flash Fearless,
Lalann,
the Human League,
Zapp,
Moss Icon,
Procol Harum,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Gastr Del Sol,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Dave Gahan,
10cc,
Bluetip,
Fad Gadget,
Surgeon,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Tremeloes,
Rekid,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Rhythm & Sound,
FM Einheit,
Pierre Henry,
Roxy Music,
Todd Terry,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Music Machine,
Scratch Acid,
Bronski Beat,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Tres Demented,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Delon & Dalcan,
Grauzone,
Eden Ahbez,
the Bar-Kays,
The United States of America,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Agent Orange,
Joensuu 1685,
Scientists,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Knickerbockers,
Camberwell Now,
Jimmy McGriff,
Cecil Taylor,
Crash Course in Science,
Eurythmics,
Scrapy,
Todd Rundgren,
Yazoo,
The Litter,
The New Christs,
Sällskapet,
Alphaville,
Robert Görl,
Bill Near,
The Doobie Brothers,
T.S.O.L.,
Anthony Braxton, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Braxton.
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.