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 Jamaica and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Shanghai.
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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Byron Stingily to the punk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Josef K. All the underground hits.
All Joey Negro tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Colin Newman record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Babytalk record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Names,
LL Cool J,
Aloha Tigers,
Fad Gadget,
Grey Daturas,
Dark Day,
Ken Boothe,
Joe Finger,
the Normal,
Subhumans,
Bill Near,
The Human League,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Man Parrish,
Pussy Galore,
Circle Jerks,
Nik Kershaw,
Vladislav Delay,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Los Fastidios,
Marvin Gaye,
Donny Hathaway,
PIL,
The Buckinghams,
Eurythmics,
Scion,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Adolescents,
Gang Starr,
The Vogues,
Hardrive,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Ponytail,
Sex Pistols,
June of 44,
Flash Fearless,
Drive Like Jehu,
Pharoah Sanders,
a-ha,
Sugar Minott,
Average White Band,
The Dirtbombs,
Johnny Clarke,
Mars,
Robert Hood,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Misunderstood,
Bootsy Collins,
Magma,
The Angels of Light,
Zero Boys,
X-101,
Underground Resistance,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Zapp,
Eric Copeland,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Theoretical Girls,
Curtis Mayfield,
Byron Stingily,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
John Coltrane, John Coltrane, John Coltrane, John Coltrane.
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.