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 Congo and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1963 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Gang Green to the punk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 David Axelrod. All the underground hits.
All The Divine Comedy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Moody Blues record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 rhodes 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 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Mars,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Seeds,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Nick Fraelich,
Boz Scaggs,
Cameo,
Spandau Ballet,
Dennis Brown,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Motorama,
Andrew Hill,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Can,
Ludus,
Marine Girls,
Los Fastidios,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Golliwogs,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
The Angels of Light,
The Zeros,
Bobby Sherman,
Franke,
Marc Almond,
Matthew Halsall,
X-Ray Spex,
The Electric Prunes,
Whodini,
Rufus Thomas,
Deadbeat,
The Cure,
Mo-Dettes,
Black Pus,
Deepchord,
Cymande,
Rod Modell,
The Knickerbockers,
Metal Thangz,
Patti Smith,
Barrington Levy,
The Detroit Cobras,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Symarip,
Banda Bassotti,
Suburban Knight,
Arthur Verocai,
Ronnie Foster,
Sandy B,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Soft Cell,
Section 25,
Harpers Bizarre,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Basic Channel,
Adolescents,
Alphaville,
The Slits,
Joy Division,
Girls At Our Best!,
Liliput,
Lakeside,
The Techniques, The Techniques, The Techniques, The Techniques.
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.