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 Sri Lanka and from Copenhagen.
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 1969 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 rhodes 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 The Red Krayola to the punk 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 Stetsasonic. All the underground hits.
All Fela Kuti tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Names record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a linndrum 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 spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Albert Ayler,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Swell Maps,
Dual Sessions,
Sparks,
Soft Cell,
Matthew Halsall,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Vladislav Delay,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Moss Icon,
Todd Rundgren,
Panda Bear,
Chris Corsano,
Bobby Sherman,
Q and Not U,
Harmonia,
Roy Ayers,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Circle Jerks,
Cybotron,
Jimmy McGriff,
Patti Smith,
Absolute Body Control,
a-ha,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Cymande,
Con Funk Shun,
Massinfluence,
FM Einheit,
Radiopuhelimet,
Eve St. Jones,
Grandmaster Flash,
Gichy Dan,
K-Klass,
The Walker Brothers,
Gerry Rafferty,
Audionom,
Moebius,
Girls At Our Best!,
Avey Tare,
Slick Rick,
Von Mondo,
Surgeon,
Cheater Slicks,
Icehouse,
A Certain Ratio,
The Star Department,
The Associates,
Johnny Osbourne,
Quantec,
Faraquet,
Pere Ubu,
David Axelrod,
The Dirtbombs,
The Saints,
Blancmange,
The Human League,
The Divine Comedy,
Dennis Brown,
F. McDonald,
David Bowie, David Bowie, David Bowie, David Bowie.
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.