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 Dominica 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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Manila.
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 1976 at the first Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Aswad to the dance 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 Basic Channel. All the underground hits.
All Darondo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Manfred Mann's Earth Band 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 a guitar and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sound Behaviour,
Stereo Dub,
The Beau Brummels,
The Human League,
The Divine Comedy,
Royal Trux,
The Index,
Neu!,
Todd Terry,
The Toasters,
David Axelrod,
The Monks,
Vladislav Delay,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Henry Cow,
Lou Christie,
Y Pants,
Oblivians,
Grauzone,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Inner City,
Frankie Knuckles,
Fat Boys,
The J.B.'s,
Echospace,
Wally Richardson,
Tommy Roe,
the Swans,
Pantaleimon,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Cecil Taylor,
Procol Harum,
The Fortunes,
David Bowie,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Animal Collective,
Popol Vuh,
The Gun Club,
Easy Going,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Monolake,
Crooked Eye,
Young Marble Giants,
Pole,
Pharoah Sanders,
Jandek,
H. Thieme,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Pulsallama,
Zero Boys,
Radio Birdman,
The Stooges,
The Young Rascals,
Scott Walker,
The Wake,
Piero Umiliani,
Cymande,
the Slits,
Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses, Nation of Ulysses.
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.