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 Rwanda and from Delhi.
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 1969 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the guitar 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 E-Dancer to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Bronski Beat. All the underground hits.
All Duran Duran tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Crispian St. Peters,
Ten City,
The Raincoats,
The Barracudas,
Mary Jane Girls,
Metal Thangz,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Grauzone,
Johnny Osbourne,
Marcia Griffiths,
Wire,
The American Breed,
Max Romeo,
Yusef Lateef,
T. Rex,
Bluetip,
The Mojo Men,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
the Bar-Kays,
Hardrive,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Soft Cell,
Pere Ubu,
Brass Construction,
Yellowson,
Henry Cow,
Banda Bassotti,
The New Christs,
The Slits,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Danielle Patucci,
Television,
Scion,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Fear,
The Divine Comedy,
DJ Style,
Gabor Szabo,
Bang On A Can,
Lou Reed,
Sixth Finger,
The Velvet Underground,
PIL,
Arcadia,
Juan Atkins,
Connie Case,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Cramps,
Marmalade,
Nils Olav,
June of 44,
Suburban Knight,
Aloha Tigers,
The Sonics,
Scan 7,
Kayak,
These Immortal Souls,
Silicon Teens,
DNA,
Rakim,
Section 25, Section 25, Section 25, Section 25.
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.