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 Australia and from Lagos.
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 1963 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 The Fugs to the dance kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Marshall Jefferson. All the underground hits.
All Moss Icon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Spandau Ballet record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a World's Most record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Urselle,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Erasure,
Howard Jones,
Excepter,
Bobby Womack,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
The Detroit Cobras,
Clear Light,
Idris Muhammad,
Grauzone,
Ludus,
Scrapy,
Yaz,
Sugar Minott,
Spoonie Gee,
The Gladiators,
Whodini,
10cc,
Eurythmics,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Trojans,
Goldenarms,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Wasted Youth,
Joyce Sims,
Cal Tjader,
Sonny Sharrock,
Davy DMX,
Graham Central Station,
Warsaw,
Neil Young,
June Days,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
AZ,
Banda Bassotti,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Gun Club,
Lyres,
Grey Daturas,
Drexciya,
CMW,
the Human League,
the Germs,
Oblivians,
The Gap Band,
the Sonics,
PIL,
Essential Logic,
Q and Not U,
Susan Cadogan,
The Birthday Party,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Gang of Four,
Wire,
Youth Brigade,
The Evens,
Yazoo,
Reuben Wilson, Reuben Wilson, Reuben Wilson, Reuben Wilson.
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.