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 Guinea-Bissau and from Portland.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Copenhagen.
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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Tommy Roe to the rock kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Marine Girls. All the underground hits.
All Outsiders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Velvet Underground 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soul Sonic Force record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roy Ayers,
the Association,
Glenn Branca,
Ohio Players,
Ten City,
Eric B and Rakim,
Tim Buckley,
Popol Vuh,
The Invisible,
Excepter,
Niagra,
Cymande,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Don Cherry,
Erykah Badu,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Camouflage,
Smog,
Lyres,
The Electric Prunes,
Altered Images,
Dual Sessions,
Little Man,
The Beau Brummels,
Panda Bear,
Aswad,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Jawbox,
The Raincoats,
Drexciya,
Bill Near,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Sixth Finger,
Sarah Menescal,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Kinks,
Colin Newman,
Bad Manners,
Procol Harum,
Arab on Radar,
Gabor Szabo,
D'Angelo,
Goldenarms,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Derrick May,
Nirvana,
Porter Ricks,
Aaron Thompson,
Dead Boys,
La Düsseldorf,
Bronski Beat,
One Last Wish,
Derrick Morgan,
Siglo XX,
Subhumans,
Todd Rundgren,
The Evens,
Nik Kershaw,
Minny Pops,
Marshall Jefferson,
Magma, Magma, Magma, Magma.
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.