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 Moldova and from Johannesburg.
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 1965 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Mexico City.
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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the guitar 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 Bang On A Can to the funk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Sight & Sound. All the underground hits.
All The Blackbyrds tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rhythm & Sound 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Warren Ellis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Stockholm Monsters,
Cybotron,
Avey Tare,
Infiniti,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Von Mondo,
Marshall Jefferson,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Gang Starr,
Soul II Soul,
Warren Ellis,
Reuben Wilson,
Gastr Del Sol,
Todd Terry,
Accadde A,
Blake Baxter,
Simply Red,
Be Bop Deluxe,
the Swans,
Grauzone,
Gregory Isaacs,
Bronski Beat,
The Sound,
Chrome,
The Residents,
Marvin Gaye,
Icehouse,
The Human League,
Animal Collective,
The Toasters,
a-ha,
The Cowsills,
Barry Ungar,
Rotary Connection,
Skriet,
Mr. Review,
Stetsasonic,
the Fania All-Stars,
Supertramp,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Sun City Girls,
Nils Olav,
The Tremeloes,
Joyce Sims,
Gerry Rafferty,
Public Image Ltd.,
Suicide,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Marc Almond,
Essential Logic,
Anakelly,
The Seeds,
Skarface,
Letta Mbulu,
The Blues Magoos,
Procol Harum,
Johnny Clarke,
Deepchord,
Don Cherry, Don Cherry, Don Cherry, Don Cherry.
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.