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 Brunei and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Mistral show in Amsterdam.
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 1962 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Beijing.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Fort Wilson Riot to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Sarah Menescal. All the underground hits.
All The Slits tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Make Up record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a rhodes 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 marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rapeman,
Thee Headcoats,
Letta Mbulu,
Morten Harket,
Gregory Isaacs,
the Fania All-Stars,
Agent Orange,
Skarface,
kango's stein massive,
Pole,
The Blues Magoos,
The Grass Roots,
Slick Rick,
Mars,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Tom Boy,
Mandrill,
ABBA,
Nils Olav,
Lou Reed,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Au Pairs,
Lalann,
Jeff Mills,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Last Poets,
Glambeats Corp.,
Cybotron,
Radiopuhelimet,
CMW,
Ralphi Rosario,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Gabor Szabo,
Girls At Our Best!,
Rosa Yemen,
Erykah Badu,
the Normal,
Loose Ends,
Quadrant,
New York Dolls,
Nirvana,
Lakeside,
The Birthday Party,
The Count Five,
Little Man,
Dark Day,
X-101,
Fluxion,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Flesh Eaters,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Eurythmics,
Cluster,
Camouflage,
Japan,
Liliput,
Sun Ra,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Quando Quango,
The Sonics,
Tropical Tobacco, Tropical Tobacco, Tropical Tobacco, Tropical Tobacco.
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.