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 Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1962 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 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 Television Personalities to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Marvin Gaye. All the underground hits.
All The Cramps tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Josef K record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 arpeggiator and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Television Personalities record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Swans,
The Names,
Spoonie Gee,
Terry Callier,
Agent Orange,
Smog,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Brothers Johnson,
Sandy B,
Stetsasonic,
Amazonics,
The Blues Magoos,
Absolute Body Control,
Al Stewart,
Ituana,
Country Teasers,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Bauhaus,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Smiths,
Von Mondo,
Sonny Sharrock,
Bronski Beat,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Spandau Ballet,
10cc,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
The Real Kids,
The Saints,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Visage,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Yaz,
Aural Exciters,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Yazoo,
Wings,
Cecil Taylor,
This Heat,
Clear Light,
The Dave Clark Five,
Curtis Mayfield,
Duran Duran,
Archie Shepp,
Make Up,
The Victims,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Henry Cow,
Dawn Penn,
Swell Maps,
Black Flag,
The Grass Roots,
Mark Hollis,
The Young Rascals,
Minor Threat,
Faraquet,
Niagra,
Metal Thangz,
Barrington Levy,
Marshall Jefferson,
The Invisible,
Ice-T,
Junior Murvin, Junior Murvin, Junior Murvin, Junior Murvin.
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.