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 Singapore and from Spokane.
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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the güiro 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 Fort Wilson Riot to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 the Germs. All the underground hits.
All Freddie Wadling tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mantronix record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Zeros record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Yellowson,
Gastr Del Sol,
X-Ray Spex,
JFA,
Agitation Free,
Marvin Gaye,
Kayak,
Adolescents,
Sällskapet,
Warsaw,
Black Sheep,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Monolake,
Alton Ellis,
Rosa Yemen,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Brand Nubian,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Pierre Henry,
Technova,
Ralphi Rosario,
Yusef Lateef,
Easy Going,
The Birthday Party,
Henry Cow,
The Doors,
Index,
Laurel Aitken,
Angry Samoans,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Moebius,
Dual Sessions,
The Fire Engines,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
The Smiths,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Mummies,
Surgeon,
Lou Reed,
Ponytail,
Yazoo,
Patti Smith,
James Chance & The Contortions,
June of 44,
Godley & Creme,
Lalo Schifrin,
Unwound,
Eve St. Jones,
The Cure,
Ohio Players,
The Knickerbockers,
Sun City Girls,
Nation of Ulysses,
the Soft Cell,
Monks,
Suburban Knight,
Pantaleimon,
Vladislav Delay,
Dennis Brown,
Slave,
Spoonie Gee,
Shuggie Otis,
Inner City, Inner City, Inner City, Inner City.
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.