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 Rwanda and from Lille.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1968 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Blossom Toes to the grime 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 Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog. All the underground hits.
All Warsaw tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jacob Miller 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bang On A Can record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Visage,
Goldenarms,
Camouflage,
Gil Scott Heron,
Lower 48,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Hashim,
The New Christs,
The Invisible,
Kool Moe Dee,
Lou Reed,
Be Bop Deluxe,
David Axelrod,
Lee Hazlewood,
Roxette,
Vladislav Delay,
New Order,
Clear Light,
Warsaw,
Nas,
Carl Craig,
Amazonics,
Amon Düül II,
Archie Shepp,
Bill Wells,
Angry Samoans,
Althea and Donna,
Grey Daturas,
The American Breed,
Ornette Coleman,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Talk Talk,
KRS-One,
Slave,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Vogues,
The Smoke,
Chris Corsano,
Black Bananas,
Big Daddy Kane,
Surgeon,
The Gories,
John Lydon,
Dual Sessions,
Rod Modell,
Reagan Youth,
Connie Case,
Minny Pops,
Robert Wyatt,
the Sonics,
Swell Maps,
Harpers Bizarre,
Interpol,
Rapeman,
Radiohead,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Bobby Byrd,
Bang On A Can,
Shuggie Otis,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Durutti Column, The Durutti Column, The Durutti Column, The Durutti Column.
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.