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 Kiribati and from Philadelphia.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 The Associates to the jazz 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 Jeff Mills. All the underground hits.
All Piero Umiliani tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every T. Rex 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pierre Henry record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Holt,
Livin' Joy,
Bill Near,
Alice Coltrane,
Crime,
Alphaville,
Deepchord,
The Raincoats,
Bizarre Inc.,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Lakeside,
Gil Scott Heron,
Mantronix,
Deadbeat,
Fela Kuti,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Pretty Things,
Spoonie Gee,
The Stooges,
Basic Channel,
Rapeman,
Deakin,
Sugar Minott,
The Sound,
Magazine,
Amon Düül,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
the Swans,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Moody Blues,
Barry Ungar,
Charles Mingus,
Faraquet,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Five Americans,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Dorothy Ashby,
Robert Wyatt,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Ice-T,
Niagra,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Toni Rubio,
Fugazi,
Model 500,
Zero Boys,
Oblivians,
Graham Central Station,
Tommy Roe,
Glambeats Corp.,
ABC,
H. Thieme,
Drexciya,
Rakim,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Monks,
Rosa Yemen,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Max Romeo,
The American Breed,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak, DJ Sneak.
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.