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 Grenada and from Manila.
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 1960 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Can to the dance kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Gap Band. All the underground hits.
All Rotary Connection tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Roy Ayers Ubiquity record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Detroit Cobras record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator 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 Slits,
Country Joe & The Fish,
John Lydon,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Saints,
Clear Light,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Lyres,
Flamin' Groovies,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Seeds,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Fire Engines,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
F. McDonald,
David Axelrod,
Ice-T,
The Dirtbombs,
Aural Exciters,
Ohio Players,
Qualms,
Harpers Bizarre,
Panda Bear,
Bobby Byrd,
Underground Resistance,
Tom Boy,
Darondo,
The Star Department,
Reuben Wilson,
Little Man,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Zapp,
The Trojans,
Soul II Soul,
Rapeman,
The Buckinghams,
Freddie Wadling,
Ornette Coleman,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
David McCallum,
Average White Band,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Cabaret Voltaire,
the Fania All-Stars,
Judy Mowatt,
Wire,
Public Image Ltd.,
Mandrill,
Moby Grape,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Pretty Things,
Robert Görl,
Morten Harket,
Flipper,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Human League, The Human League, The Human League, The Human League.
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.