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 St Lucia and from Hong Kong.
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 1966 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 1968 at the first Can practice in a loft in Cologne.
I was working on the marimba 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 Gang Starr to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Art Ensemble Of Chicago. All the underground hits.
All Manfred Mann's Earth Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Thompson Twins 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a clarinet 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 sitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bobbi Humphrey,
Gang Gang Dance,
Josef K,
LL Cool J,
Davy DMX,
Public Image Ltd.,
Jesper Dahlback,
Wings,
The Angels of Light,
The Count Five,
The Toasters,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Standells,
The Techniques,
F. McDonald,
Tomorrow,
Black Pus,
The Stooges,
8 Eyed Spy,
Vainqueur,
Bad Manners,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Selecter,
Todd Terry,
Barry Ungar,
John Foxx,
Kool Moe Dee,
Pierre Henry,
Fear,
Agitation Free,
The Remains,
Lou Christie,
The Evens,
the Association,
Sam Rivers,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Eurythmics,
T.S.O.L.,
Kenny Larkin,
Babytalk,
Flash Fearless,
Bronski Beat,
Stockholm Monsters,
John Cale,
The Fuzztones,
Y Pants,
Lalo Schifrin,
Pole,
The Buckinghams,
Basic Channel,
The Gories,
Tres Demented,
The Walker Brothers,
The Fugs,
Procol Harum,
The Smoke,
June of 44,
Pulsallama,
Marc Almond,
Agent Orange,
Gang of Four,
Can,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Hoover,
Yaz, Yaz, Yaz, Yaz.
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.