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 Guinea-Bissau and from Seoul.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and London.
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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Pulsallama to the techno kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Gong. All the underground hits.
All Louis and Bebe Barron tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Intrusion record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mark Hollis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Japan,
The Dave Clark Five,
Joy Division,
Curtis Mayfield,
Radiohead,
Public Enemy,
Television Personalities,
David Bowie,
Robert Wyatt,
Unwound,
Bauhaus,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Mojo Men,
Spoonie Gee,
The Seeds,
Whodini,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Crime,
Con Funk Shun,
Carl Craig,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Gang of Four,
Andrew Hill,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Nils Olav,
June of 44,
Unrelated Segments,
Metal Thangz,
Urselle,
OOIOO,
Max Romeo,
Pole,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Mandrill,
Freddie Wadling,
Peter and Kerry,
Pantaleimon,
Man Eating Sloth,
Rhythm & Sound,
Sam Rivers,
the Human League,
Outsiders,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Charles Mingus,
The Fuzztones,
The Barracudas,
Leonard Cohen,
The Searchers,
Robert Hood,
Delon & Dalcan,
Slave,
Eddi Front,
Scratch Acid,
The Fire Engines,
The Black Dice,
Skarface,
Cameo,
Depeche Mode,
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.