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 Iraq and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1969 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 snare 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 Television to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Josef K. All the underground hits.
All Bootsy's Rubber Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Fire Engines 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Little Man record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ronnie Foster,
Andrew Hill,
The Wake,
Junior Murvin,
Fort Wilson Riot,
the Swans,
Amon Düül,
Circle Jerks,
Jawbox,
The Golliwogs,
Bill Near,
Althea and Donna,
Aural Exciters,
Johnny Clarke,
the Association,
Don Cherry,
Pere Ubu,
Accadde A,
Lalo Schifrin,
Nik Kershaw,
Royal Trux,
Drexciya,
The Fortunes,
Little Man,
The Electric Prunes,
Harry Pussy,
Rotary Connection,
The Pop Group,
Aaron Thompson,
Crooked Eye,
Ten City,
JFA,
Fela Kuti,
the Human League,
Soul Sonic Force,
Aswad,
Ossler,
John Cale,
Bang On A Can,
Anthony Braxton,
Ultra Naté,
New Age Steppers,
H. Thieme,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Todd Rundgren,
Reuben Wilson,
Mantronix,
Quadrant,
Letta Mbulu,
The Searchers,
Wings,
Leonard Cohen,
The Victims,
Adolescents,
The Toasters,
E-Dancer,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Scan 7,
EPMD,
Alice Coltrane,
Eli Mardock,
Skriet,
Joe Smooth,
Half Japanese, Half Japanese, Half Japanese, Half Japanese.
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.