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 Turkey 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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Be Bop Deluxe to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Wolf Eyes. All the underground hits.
All Saccharine Trust tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every These Immortal Souls 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nick Fraelich record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Mummies,
Freddie Wadling,
Erasure,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Funkadelic,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Oblivians,
Hardrive,
Minor Threat,
Franke,
Tears for Fears,
the Slits,
The Names,
The Grass Roots,
Ralphi Rosario,
Sarah Menescal,
CMW,
Chris & Cosey,
Fela Kuti,
Interpol,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Throbbing Gristle,
Alison Limerick,
Joey Negro,
Malaria!,
Basic Channel,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Boogie Down Productions,
Danielle Patucci,
Wolf Eyes,
Bill Near,
PIL,
Joe Smooth,
China Crisis,
OOIOO,
The Knickerbockers,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Underground Resistance,
Glenn Branca,
U.S. Maple,
Wings,
Eric Dolphy,
Siglo XX,
Loose Ends,
Dead Boys,
These Immortal Souls,
Tom Boy,
Blake Baxter,
Rites of Spring,
Chris Corsano,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Dennis Brown,
Alphaville,
Pharoah Sanders,
Jawbox,
Warren Ellis,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Stereo Dub,
Negative Approach,
48th St. Collective,
Porter Ricks,
Sister Nancy,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry.
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.