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 Maldives and from Bologna.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Soft Machine to the rock kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Roy Ayers Ubiquity. All the underground hits.
All Steve Hackett tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Boredoms record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 güiro and a sitar 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 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Mars,
The Litter,
Lungfish,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Fuzztones,
Outsiders,
Joensuu 1685,
Traffic Nightmare,
Todd Rundgren,
Dawn Penn,
Chrome,
Niagra,
Rotary Connection,
Bauhaus,
Byron Stingily,
Yusef Lateef,
Vladislav Delay,
The Angels of Light,
Porter Ricks,
Al Stewart,
Barry Ungar,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Vainqueur,
ABBA,
Ten City,
Radiopuhelimet,
Duran Duran,
Kurtis Blow,
Rufus Thomas,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Masters at Work,
The Smoke,
Harpers Bizarre,
Mr. Review,
Barrington Levy,
Cymande,
Joy Division,
The Monochrome Set,
Fela Kuti,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Nas,
Lyres,
Gang Starr,
OOIOO,
Circle Jerks,
Sister Nancy,
Pere Ubu,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Bang On A Can,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Lebanon Hanover,
Suicide,
Dave Gahan,
Black Flag,
Pierre Henry,
JFA,
Rekid,
Soul II Soul,
Black Sheep,
Nils Olav,
Wally Richardson, Wally Richardson, Wally Richardson, Wally Richardson.
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.