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 Afghanistan and from Columbus.
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 1960 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Edmonton.
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 1975 at the first Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the mellotron 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 The Pop Group to the funk 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 Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud. All the underground hits.
All Half Japanese tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Gories record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Smoke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pet Shop Boys,
Skaos,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Brick,
Hardrive,
Television Personalities,
Brothers Johnson,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
the Germs,
Iggy Pop,
Marine Girls,
Reagan Youth,
Sonic Youth,
Brand Nubian,
The Martian,
Max Romeo,
Stockholm Monsters,
Ornette Coleman,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Peter and Kerry,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Derrick Morgan,
Funky Four + One,
Public Image Ltd.,
48th St. Collective,
The Cramps,
Blancmange,
Nirvana,
Electric Prunes,
Desert Stars,
The Tremeloes,
Prince Buster,
Buzzcocks,
Matthew Halsall,
Albert Ayler,
Urselle,
The American Breed,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
ABC,
Shuggie Otis,
Heaven 17,
Goldenarms,
Robert Görl,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Soul Sonic Force,
Silicon Teens,
Aswad,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Pylon,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Yaz,
Echospace,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Smoke,
Sound Behaviour,
Crispy Ambulance,
Skarface,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Bootsy Collins,
Judy Mowatt,
Absolute Body Control,
Althea and Donna,
Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music.
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.