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 Malawi and from Glasgow.
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 1967 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Rapeman 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 The Gladiators. All the underground hits.
All cv313 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Depeche Mode 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 harpsichord and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Amon Düül II record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Outsiders,
The Cowsills,
Robert Wyatt,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Happenings,
Marvin Gaye,
Godley & Creme,
The Fire Engines,
Brick,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Tears for Fears,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Cybotron,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Tomorrow,
The Music Machine,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Flamin' Groovies,
Gastr Del Sol,
Fela Kuti,
Soul Sonic Force,
Underground Resistance,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Cal Tjader,
Tommy Roe,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Sound,
Freddie Wadling,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Johnny Clarke,
John Cale,
The Gladiators,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Danielle Patucci,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Negative Approach,
Joe Finger,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Thee Headcoats,
Audionom,
The Slits,
Traffic Nightmare,
The Litter,
Carl Craig,
Bluetip,
Ornette Coleman,
Nation of Ulysses,
Mars,
Joey Negro,
Sarah Menescal,
Mantronix,
Schoolly D,
The Tremeloes,
the Bar-Kays,
R.M.O.,
Television,
Colin Newman,
The Cramps,
Radiohead,
Byron Stingily,
Basic Channel,
Subhumans,
Michelle Simonal,
Groovy Waters, Groovy Waters, Groovy Waters, Groovy Waters.
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.