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 Vietnam and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Edmonton and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Technova to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Tomorrow. All the underground hits.
All Prince Buster tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marcia Griffiths record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a CMW record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Niagra,
The Stooges,
Altered Images,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Lyres,
Can,
Quadrant,
The Blues Magoos,
James White and The Blacks,
Steve Hackett,
This Heat,
The Five Americans,
DJ Style,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Marvin Gaye,
Spandau Ballet,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Remains,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Rakim,
Deakin,
Mr. Review,
Model 500,
Bobby Womack,
Nik Kershaw,
Amon Düül II,
EPMD,
Byron Stingily,
Rotary Connection,
Negative Approach,
Rites of Spring,
Davy DMX,
Eli Mardock,
The Slackers,
Technova,
Babytalk,
Howard Jones,
Livin' Joy,
Scan 7,
Quando Quango,
Thompson Twins,
Maleditus Sound,
Pagans,
Joey Negro,
Gang Gang Dance,
Glenn Branca,
Michelle Simonal,
Khruangbin,
Swell Maps,
Fatback Band,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
China Crisis,
Pharoah Sanders,
Kurtis Blow,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Albert Ayler,
The Buckinghams,
Graham Central Station,
Warren Ellis,
The Moody Blues,
Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul, Soul II Soul.
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.