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 Namibia and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1964 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Alison Limerick to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Nik Kershaw. All the underground hits.
All The Knickerbockers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sun Ra Arkestra 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 sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Althea and Donna record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Black Moon,
The Standells,
The Cowsills,
Spoonie Gee,
Heaven 17,
Howard Jones,
Smog,
Alice Coltrane,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Hashim,
the Fania All-Stars,
Scrapy,
Piero Umiliani,
Das Ding,
Boogie Down Productions,
Traffic Nightmare,
Max Romeo,
The Doors,
The Kinks,
The Knickerbockers,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Excepter,
Q and Not U,
The Martian,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Chris Corsano,
Alphaville,
Mark Hollis,
MC5,
Jeru the Damaja,
Second Layer,
Goldenarms,
Bill Near,
Letta Mbulu,
Delta 5,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Jawbox,
Jandek,
Cybotron,
Man Parrish,
R.M.O.,
the Germs,
Schoolly D,
Mr. Review,
Cameo,
The Skatalites,
Darondo,
The Move,
T. Rex,
Arab on Radar,
The Five Americans,
The Invisible,
The Star Department,
Lalo Schifrin,
Johnny Clarke,
The Doobie Brothers,
Isaac Hayes,
Bluetip,
Ultimate Spinach,
Public Enemy,
Slave, Slave, Slave, Slave.
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.