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 Zambia and from Manchester.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Soul II Soul to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Lucky Dragons. All the underground hits.
All The Stooges tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Royal Trux record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Busters record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
K-Klass,
Dorothy Ashby,
Matthew Halsall,
Reuben Wilson,
Bizarre Inc.,
Depeche Mode,
Sarah Menescal,
Hardrive,
the Sonics,
Traffic Nightmare,
Yusef Lateef,
Eric Copeland,
The Tremeloes,
Hot Snakes,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Offenders,
a-ha,
Aural Exciters,
The Five Americans,
Schoolly D,
June Days,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Bronski Beat,
Pere Ubu,
The Cramps,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Angry Samoans,
The Raincoats,
Pylon,
Porter Ricks,
Siglo XX,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Doobie Brothers,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Gichy Dan,
The Fire Engines,
Ultimate Spinach,
Cecil Taylor,
Crime,
Arthur Verocai,
Arcadia,
Talk Talk,
Rod Modell,
Mantronix,
Marine Girls,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Livin' Joy,
Amon Düül II,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Thee Headcoats,
Young Marble Giants,
Steve Hackett,
Masters at Work,
Sam Rivers,
The Martian,
The Fortunes,
The Invisible,
Derrick Morgan,
Suburban Knight,
Glenn Branca,
Niagra,
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.