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 Austria and from Bologna.
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 1960 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 arpeggiator 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 Bad Manners to the electroclash 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 a-ha. All the underground hits.
All Eric Dolphy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fort Wilson Riot record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oneida record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sparks,
F. McDonald,
Groovy Waters,
the Germs,
Qualms,
Darondo,
Curtis Mayfield,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
These Immortal Souls,
The Skatalites,
Crispy Ambulance,
Das Ding,
Joensuu 1685,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Bill Near,
The Saints,
Soul II Soul,
Lou Reed,
Ronan,
Thee Headcoats,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Chris & Cosey,
Mission of Burma,
Fluxion,
Gabor Szabo,
June of 44,
Lightning Bolt,
The United States of America,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Lalann,
Maleditus Sound,
Vladislav Delay,
Al Stewart,
The Grass Roots,
The Pop Group,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
OOIOO,
This Heat,
Lungfish,
June Days,
Rufus Thomas,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Walker Brothers,
Glambeats Corp.,
Sällskapet,
Tommy Roe,
The Smoke,
New York Dolls,
Bill Wells,
JFA,
Cheater Slicks,
Sonny Sharrock,
Tomorrow,
R.M.O.,
Bob Dylan,
DNA,
Technova,
Flamin' Groovies,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Stooges,
Judy Mowatt, Judy Mowatt, Judy Mowatt, Judy Mowatt.
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.