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 St Kitts & Nevis and from Manila.
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 1969 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Seoul.
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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Vainqueur to the electroclash 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 the Fania All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All Slave tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Silicon Teens record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Teenage Jesus and the Jerks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Kayak,
Newcleus,
Bang On A Can,
Talk Talk,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Tres Demented,
The Last Poets,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Jandek,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Robert Görl,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Bobby Sherman,
Joey Negro,
Joy Division,
Terry Callier,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Panda Bear,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
8 Eyed Spy,
New Order,
The Zeros,
Supertramp,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Invisible,
Archie Shepp,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Robert Hood,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Nick Fraelich,
cv313,
Barrington Levy,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Byron Stingily,
Circle Jerks,
The Dead C,
The Techniques,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Gang Green,
Morten Harket,
Gerry Rafferty,
Slave,
Khruangbin,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Hasil Adkins,
John Holt,
The Golliwogs,
Delon & Dalcan,
Mantronix,
Bad Manners,
Michelle Simonal,
The Five Americans,
Alphaville,
Nils Olav,
The Young Rascals,
Tommy Roe,
Charles Mingus,
48th St. Collective,
Josef K,
Sun City Girls,
H. Thieme,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Clear Light,
Thompson Twins, Thompson Twins, Thompson Twins, Thompson Twins.
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.