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 Peru and from Jakarta.
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 1968 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Scott Walker + Sunn O))) to the techno 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 Tears for Fears. All the underground hits.
All Mantronix tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jeff Lynne record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tom Boy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Mummies,
The Flesh Eaters,
Dead Boys,
X-Ray Spex,
Black Pus,
Gong,
Television,
The United States of America,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Tremeloes,
Boredoms,
Cameo,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Ultimate Spinach,
Groovy Waters,
John Cale,
the Swans,
Eric Copeland,
PIL,
David Axelrod,
Derrick Morgan,
Shuggie Otis,
Radio Birdman,
Echospace,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Trojans,
Masters at Work,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Tubeway Army,
Stereo Dub,
D'Angelo,
Talk Talk,
Lungfish,
the Fania All-Stars,
a-ha,
Flipper,
Tears for Fears,
Chrome,
The Grass Roots,
Scott Walker,
New York Dolls,
Sexual Harrassment,
Moss Icon,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Glambeats Corp.,
Bill Near,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Barbara Tucker,
A Certain Ratio,
Royal Trux,
The Saints,
Brothers Johnson,
Funky Four + One,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Sonics,
Kayak,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Bobby Sherman,
Terrestrial Tones,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
EPMD,
The Smiths,
One Last Wish, One Last Wish, One Last Wish, One Last Wish.
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.