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 China and from Lagos.
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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Los Fastidios to the disco kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Minutemen. All the underground hits.
All Gichy Dan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Throbbing Gristle record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 808 and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joy Division record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Human League,
Young Marble Giants,
Archie Shepp,
The Gladiators,
Kurtis Blow,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Half Japanese,
Hasil Adkins,
Von Mondo,
Rotary Connection,
Derrick May,
the Swans,
Moss Icon,
Lalann,
Interpol,
Erasure,
Rekid,
Faust,
Rufus Thomas,
Curtis Mayfield,
Marshall Jefferson,
The Dave Clark Five,
David Axelrod,
Brick,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
The Cure,
Sun Ra,
Terry Callier,
LL Cool J,
Basic Channel,
Avey Tare,
Mission of Burma,
Barrington Levy,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Rod Modell,
The Seeds,
Gerry Rafferty,
Soul II Soul,
Roxette,
Davy DMX,
Wally Richardson,
The Durutti Column,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Y Pants,
Ronnie Foster,
Trumans Water,
MDC,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
DJ Sneak,
David Bowie,
The Fire Engines,
Pierre Henry,
Gregory Isaacs,
Delon & Dalcan,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Real Kids,
Don Cherry,
The Motions,
Public Image Ltd.,
Ronan,
Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton.
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.