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 Costa Rica and from Columbus.
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 1961 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
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 Hot Snakes to the grime kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Bang on a Can All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All The Young Rascals tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rufus Thomas 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a snare 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 spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
New Order,
New Age Steppers,
Spandau Ballet,
Basic Channel,
Lou Reed,
X-102,
Andrew Hill,
Anakelly,
Organ,
Barrington Levy,
Mark Hollis,
The Gap Band,
the Association,
The Red Krayola,
Scion,
The Moody Blues,
La Düsseldorf,
T.S.O.L.,
The Busters,
Delon & Dalcan,
Charles Mingus,
Tres Demented,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Make Up,
The Victims,
Nas,
Agent Orange,
Section 25,
Subhumans,
Letta Mbulu,
Ronnie Foster,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Anthony Braxton,
Bootsy Collins,
Grauzone,
Dennis Brown,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Swell Maps,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
JFA,
Sugar Minott,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Soulsonic Force,
Black Flag,
Alphaville,
The Dave Clark Five,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Cecil Taylor,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Sun Ra,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Camouflage,
Rufus Thomas,
The Cure,
Soft Machine,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Johnny Osbourne,
Technova,
Ultimate Spinach, Ultimate Spinach, Ultimate Spinach, Ultimate Spinach.
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.