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 Uganda and from Salvador.
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 1960 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Girls At Our Best! to the punk 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 Ludus. All the underground hits.
All The Knickerbockers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Sheep 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Delta 5 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Slick Rick,
Bill Wells,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Absolute Body Control,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Babytalk,
Barry Ungar,
Anthony Braxton,
Man Parrish,
Danielle Patucci,
Icehouse,
Bill Near,
Alison Limerick,
Wings,
Davy DMX,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Eden Ahbez,
The Saints,
Visage,
The Toasters,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Seeds,
the Normal,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Connie Case,
Simply Red,
Prince Buster,
The Selecter,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Spoonie Gee,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Tres Demented,
Television Personalities,
Average White Band,
Reuben Wilson,
Rosa Yemen,
Royal Trux,
48th St. Collective,
Crime,
Au Pairs,
Charles Mingus,
Bang On A Can,
Silicon Teens,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Zero Boys,
Circle Jerks,
Jimmy McGriff,
cv313,
Fear,
the Human League,
Tears for Fears,
James White and The Blacks,
John Foxx,
The Evens,
Pantytec,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
PIL,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
8 Eyed Spy,
Pussy Galore,
a-ha,
Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti.
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.