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 South Sudan and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1960 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Mumbai.
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 The Pretty Things to the punk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Zero Boys. All the underground hits.
All Black Sheep tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marvin Gaye record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joey Negro record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Smoke,
Newcleus,
Jerry's Kids,
The Gun Club,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Scan 7,
The Last Poets,
Oblivians,
Audionom,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Gichy Dan,
Wire,
Brick,
Ultravox,
Mantronix,
Derrick Morgan,
The Invisible,
Ken Boothe,
Suburban Knight,
Lightning Bolt,
Colin Newman,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Soulsonic Force,
Public Image Ltd.,
Suicide,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Grauzone,
X-102,
Grey Daturas,
Ronnie Foster,
Duran Duran,
The Cure,
The J.B.'s,
Main Source,
Clear Light,
Ludus,
U.S. Maple,
Zero Boys,
Terry Callier,
Bobby Byrd,
OOIOO,
Crispian St. Peters,
Tropical Tobacco,
Tommy Roe,
Trumans Water,
Porter Ricks,
Mark Hollis,
Buzzcocks,
Technova,
Crooked Eye,
Q65,
Fatback Band,
Babytalk,
Rhythm & Sound,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Aural Exciters,
Mary Jane Girls,
Cal Tjader,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway.
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.