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 Vanuatu and from Delhi.
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 1969 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 R.M.O. to the rap 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 Charles Mingus. All the underground hits.
All Quantec tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bluetip record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ronnie Foster 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?
Kaleidoscope,
Mr. Review,
Fatback Band,
Howard Jones,
Flash Fearless,
the Fania All-Stars,
Ronnie Foster,
Terrestrial Tones,
Thee Headcoats,
The United States of America,
Neu!,
Crispian St. Peters,
Roger Hodgson,
Curtis Mayfield,
Byron Stingily,
The Sonics,
Dark Day,
Shuggie Otis,
Magazine,
The Litter,
Dennis Brown,
The Star Department,
These Immortal Souls,
Bush Tetras,
Dual Sessions,
Ponytail,
The Smiths,
China Crisis,
FM Einheit,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
the Human League,
Chris Corsano,
Fugazi,
Deadbeat,
Susan Cadogan,
Mo-Dettes,
Thompson Twins,
Au Pairs,
Jandek,
Rufus Thomas,
Pierre Henry,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Minnie Riperton,
The Five Americans,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Fear,
Rekid,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Trumans Water,
Cameo,
Toni Rubio,
Public Enemy,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Mars,
Eric Dolphy,
Sam Rivers,
Bobby Sherman,
Rapeman,
Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies.
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.