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 Swaziland and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1965 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 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 Urselle to the dance 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 Half Japanese. All the underground hits.
All Gabor Szabo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bobby Womack 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lou Reed record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Marvin Gaye,
Lalann,
Chris & Cosey,
Jacob Miller,
Graham Central Station,
Negative Approach,
Yusef Lateef,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Cheater Slicks,
The Young Rascals,
Massinfluence,
Rekid,
Khruangbin,
The Gun Club,
PIL,
The Velvet Underground,
Rufus Thomas,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Public Image Ltd.,
Hashim,
Bootsy Collins,
Max Romeo,
Aural Exciters,
The Fortunes,
New York Dolls,
Gang Starr,
Soul Sonic Force,
Oblivians,
Godley & Creme,
Talk Talk,
Animal Collective,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Kayak,
Sam Rivers,
Black Sheep,
Josef K,
Bronski Beat,
The Count Five,
Eli Mardock,
The Fugs,
Gang of Four,
Lebanon Hanover,
Man Eating Sloth,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The American Breed,
Niagra,
Sex Pistols,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Reagan Youth,
Inner City,
Eden Ahbez,
Gastr Del Sol,
Gichy Dan,
Little Man,
Brothers Johnson,
Sun Ra,
Fatback Band,
Altered Images,
Liliput,
Robert Hood,
E-Dancer, E-Dancer, E-Dancer, E-Dancer.
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.