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 Lebanon and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
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 Fatback Band to the electroclash 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 The Dead C. All the underground hits.
All Soul II Soul tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Derrick Morgan 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a harpsichord 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 clarinet and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
ABBA,
Pet Shop Boys,
Johnny Osbourne,
Black Flag,
Kaleidoscope,
Thompson Twins,
Jeru the Damaja,
Harmonia,
The Cowsills,
The Moody Blues,
R.M.O.,
Morten Harket,
Henry Cow,
Erykah Badu,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Crime,
The Birthday Party,
Dennis Brown,
MC5,
The Walker Brothers,
OOIOO,
Tears for Fears,
Steve Hackett,
Girls At Our Best!,
Danielle Patucci,
Underground Resistance,
Idris Muhammad,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Isaac Hayes,
The Fire Engines,
John Coltrane,
The Dave Clark Five,
Agent Orange,
Eric Copeland,
Gichy Dan,
Toni Rubio,
Brick,
The Remains,
Dave Gahan,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Ohio Players,
The Angels of Light,
The Human League,
The J.B.'s,
Bootsy Collins,
Maurizio,
Alice Coltrane,
Ludus,
Youth Brigade,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Bluetip,
The Invisible,
Grey Daturas,
The Monks,
Alphaville,
X-102,
Average White Band,
Althea and Donna,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Techniques,
Bronski Beat,
Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee.
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.