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 Samoa and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1964 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Big Daddy Kane to the jazz kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. All the underground hits.
All Stockholm Monsters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Zeros record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a theremin 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 rhodes and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Peter and Kerry,
Howard Jones,
Derrick Morgan,
Nation of Ulysses,
Ohio Players,
Minor Threat,
Archie Shepp,
The Sonics,
Surgeon,
10cc,
Soul II Soul,
Ossler,
The Angels of Light,
Anakelly,
The Vogues,
Visage,
Sarah Menescal,
Deadbeat,
Public Enemy,
China Crisis,
The Trojans,
Steve Hackett,
Todd Terry,
Black Sheep,
Agent Orange,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Half Japanese,
Pagans,
Reuben Wilson,
The Saints,
Letta Mbulu,
Derrick May,
Saccharine Trust,
Zapp,
Byron Stingily,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Alarm Clocks,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
the Germs,
Quadrant,
Angry Samoans,
Accadde A,
the Bar-Kays,
Symarip,
Freddie Wadling,
La Düsseldorf,
Moby Grape,
Tres Demented,
Youth Brigade,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Fear,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Lungfish,
Q and Not U,
Joensuu 1685,
Slick Rick,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Count Five,
Boredoms,
Tim Buckley,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Flash Fearless,
Roxy Music,
Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey.
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.