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 Andorra 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 1967 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
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 Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel 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 Main Source. All the underground hits.
All Drive Like Jehu tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Jesus and Mary Chain record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grandmaster Flash record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
Ohio Players,
Marmalade,
Black Moon,
Thompson Twins,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Smog,
Zero Boys,
Agitation Free,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Jawbox,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Bobby Sherman,
Easy Going,
Joey Negro,
Qualms,
Malaria!,
The Kinks,
Steve Hackett,
Masters at Work,
Joyce Sims,
Darondo,
The Raincoats,
Stockholm Monsters,
Minutemen,
The Slits,
Barclay James Harvest,
kango's stein massive,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Electric Prunes,
Au Pairs,
The Happenings,
Chris Corsano,
Fela Kuti,
Joensuu 1685,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Gregory Isaacs,
Soft Machine,
cv313,
Pantytec,
The Doors,
Dawn Penn,
One Last Wish,
Pet Shop Boys,
Reuben Wilson,
Carl Craig,
Terry Callier,
The Blackbyrds,
Jeru the Damaja,
Zapp,
Lalann,
Prince Buster,
Ornette Coleman,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Hasil Adkins,
Wire,
Babytalk,
Toni Rubio,
The Golliwogs, The Golliwogs, The Golliwogs, The Golliwogs.
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.