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 Cuba and from Edmonton.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Carl Craig to the grime kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Scott Walker. All the underground hits.
All Todd Terry tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gabor Szabo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Can record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Five Americans,
Monolake,
Radio Birdman,
Vladislav Delay,
Little Man,
Blancmange,
Minor Threat,
JFA,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Fortunes,
Model 500,
Gabor Szabo,
Absolute Body Control,
Dead Boys,
Angry Samoans,
Terry Callier,
Maleditus Sound,
the Human League,
The Human League,
Boredoms,
Aaron Thompson,
Supertramp,
Lalann,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
the Germs,
Newcleus,
Babytalk,
The Mummies,
Boogie Down Productions,
Nirvana,
Heaven 17,
Robert Görl,
The Slits,
Ludus,
Leonard Cohen,
Laurel Aitken,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
a-ha,
the Sonics,
Hasil Adkins,
The Selecter,
Ossler,
John Cale,
Section 25,
The Fugs,
Pharoah Sanders,
Magazine,
Pole,
Skriet,
Scan 7,
Oblivians,
The Moleskins,
Kerrie Biddell,
The Monochrome Set,
Simply Red,
Skarface,
The Black Dice,
China Crisis,
Jeff Lynne,
T. Rex, T. Rex, T. Rex, T. Rex.
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.