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 Gambia and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
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 Edmonton and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Theoretical Girls to the techno kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Stooges. All the underground hits.
All the Slits tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Doobie Brothers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Fortunes record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
ABBA,
The Happenings,
Brass Construction,
The United States of America,
John Holt,
Procol Harum,
The Remains,
Negative Approach,
Amazonics,
48th St. Collective,
Yusef Lateef,
The Walker Brothers,
Eric Copeland,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
These Immortal Souls,
The Human League,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Funky Four + One,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Fugazi,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Moleskins,
Eurythmics,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Swans,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
The Smiths,
One Last Wish,
the Human League,
The Pop Group,
Piero Umiliani,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Monochrome Set,
Rites of Spring,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Neon Judgement,
Agent Orange,
a-ha,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The American Breed,
Josef K,
Lee Hazlewood,
Q and Not U,
Pantytec,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Agitation Free,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Crooked Eye,
Gil Scott Heron,
Black Flag,
The Durutti Column,
Malaria!,
Toni Rubio,
Drive Like Jehu,
Public Image Ltd.,
Byron Stingily,
Qualms,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Siglo XX,
Bauhaus,
Black Moon,
Pet Shop Boys,
Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis.
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.