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 San Marino and from Seoul.
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 1962 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 This Heat to the dance kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Sisters of Mercy. All the underground hits.
All Jesper Dahlback tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Human League 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 '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 Ken Boothe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Seeds,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Grauzone,
Eve St. Jones,
Angry Samoans,
Chrome,
Godley & Creme,
The Leaves,
Soul II Soul,
Pussy Galore,
Y Pants,
June Days,
The Motions,
The Doors,
Los Fastidios,
Crime,
T. Rex,
Soft Cell,
Rakim,
Motorama,
Graham Central Station,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Dark Day,
Underground Resistance,
Bauhaus,
Marshall Jefferson,
Country Joe & The Fish,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Vainqueur,
Blossom Toes,
Eli Mardock,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
The Gun Club,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
New York Dolls,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Boogie Down Productions,
the Sonics,
Gastr Del Sol,
Rhythm & Sound,
Max Romeo,
Morten Harket,
Erykah Badu,
Black Bananas,
The Kinks,
The Misunderstood,
The Golliwogs,
Can,
Guru Guru,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Warren Ellis,
Donald Byrd,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Zeros,
Bush Tetras,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Heaven 17,
Boz Scaggs,
Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro, Joey Negro.
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.