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 Oman and from Lagos.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Toronto.
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 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 Spandau Ballet to the rock 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 The Motions. All the underground hits.
All 10cc tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Darondo 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Johnny Clarke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Pretty Things,
The Tremeloes,
The Sound,
Arab on Radar,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Pole,
The United States of America,
Ultimate Spinach,
Tomorrow,
Stereo Dub,
Don Cherry,
Sonny Sharrock,
Kerrie Biddell,
Oblivians,
La Düsseldorf,
Donald Byrd,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Matthew Halsall,
Intrusion,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Maurizio,
The Toasters,
Eric B and Rakim,
Sparks,
Mad Mike,
The Gladiators,
The Busters,
Gastr Del Sol,
Hashim,
Cameo,
Rosa Yemen,
Man Parrish,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Ornette Coleman,
Average White Band,
Second Layer,
Magazine,
The Detroit Cobras,
Big Daddy Kane,
Marshall Jefferson,
Man Eating Sloth,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Procol Harum,
Absolute Body Control,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Jimmy McGriff,
Accadde A,
Eurythmics,
Deadbeat,
Tubeway Army,
June Days,
Chris Corsano,
Kas Product,
Slave,
Yusef Lateef,
Swans,
Funky Four + One,
Tom Boy,
The Music Machine,
L. Decosne,
A Certain Ratio, A Certain Ratio, A Certain Ratio, A Certain Ratio.
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.