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 Spain and from Beijing.
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 1965 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and New York.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Grandmaster Flash to the dance 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 The Red Krayola. All the underground hits.
All The Last Poets tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Spoonie Gee record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Vainqueur,
Marvin Gaye,
Black Moon,
B.T. Express,
The Gories,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Birthday Party,
Blossom Toes,
Quadrant,
This Heat,
Boredoms,
Nas,
Sam Rivers,
DJ Style,
Danielle Patucci,
the Slits,
Amazonics,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Deepchord,
Cybotron,
Drexciya,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Swans,
Flamin' Groovies,
Anakelly,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Second Layer,
Crispian St. Peters,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Livin' Joy,
Hasil Adkins,
Excepter,
Massinfluence,
Sugar Minott,
James White and The Blacks,
Wire,
Mary Jane Girls,
Agent Orange,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Dark Day,
Crispy Ambulance,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
KRS-One,
Minor Threat,
Magma,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
The Vogues,
The Moody Blues,
Surgeon,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Leaves,
The Smiths,
Stiv Bators,
Masters at Work,
Reagan Youth,
Lalann,
Theoretical Girls,
Mad Mike,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Lindisfarne,
Bill Wells, Bill Wells, Bill Wells, Bill Wells.
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.