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 Sri Lanka and from Mexico City.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Bologna.
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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Loose Ends to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Gichy Dan. All the underground hits.
All Prince Buster tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Organ 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Arthur Verocai,
Bush Tetras,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
The Smiths,
Toni Rubio,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Leaves,
Howard Jones,
the Association,
Kurtis Blow,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Pharoah Sanders,
Scrapy,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Chris & Cosey,
Oblivians,
Michelle Simonal,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Gap Band,
Laurel Aitken,
Technova,
The Real Kids,
Mo-Dettes,
Smog,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Remains,
Make Up,
The Victims,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Blues Magoos,
Sam Rivers,
Godley & Creme,
Connie Case,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Joy Division,
The Toasters,
Graham Central Station,
The Count Five,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Fire Engines,
Leonard Cohen,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Susan Cadogan,
Ponytail,
Stiv Bators,
Television Personalities,
Index,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Tubeway Army,
The Velvet Underground,
Echospace,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Barrington Levy,
Grauzone,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Names,
Inner City,
Pantytec,
Soulsonic Force, Soulsonic Force, Soulsonic Force, Soulsonic Force.
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.