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 Belarus and from Columbus.
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 1962 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 London Community Gospel Choir to the punk 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 Archie Shepp. All the underground hits.
All Khruangbin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Warren Ellis 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ponytail record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Theoretical Girls,
The Last Poets,
The Fire Engines,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Blackbyrds,
Carl Craig,
Heaven 17,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Symarip,
Soul II Soul,
Fugazi,
Harry Pussy,
Archie Shepp,
Pantytec,
Mary Jane Girls,
World's Most,
8 Eyed Spy,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Gong,
Goldenarms,
Stereo Dub,
John Lydon,
Peter and Kerry,
Roxette,
Shoche,
The Doors,
Adolescents,
The Martian,
EPMD,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Ice-T,
Judy Mowatt,
Main Source,
The Seeds,
Quadrant,
Ultra Naté,
Marine Girls,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Bang On A Can,
Rekid,
Liliput,
The Skatalites,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Crash Course in Science,
The Cure,
Jesper Dahlback,
Yaz,
Surgeon,
Massinfluence,
Public Image Ltd.,
Masters at Work,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Kool Moe Dee,
Chrome,
Subhumans,
Kaleidoscope,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Dead Boys,
Suicide, Suicide, Suicide, Suicide.
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.