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 Bulgaria and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1968 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the sitar 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 The Human League to the rap kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 New Order. All the underground hits.
All The Trojans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Dorothy Ashby record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Blackbyrds record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gang Green,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
New Age Steppers,
Cheater Slicks,
Quadrant,
The Barracudas,
The Leaves,
Aloha Tigers,
Lalo Schifrin,
Eddi Front,
Peter & Gordon,
Monolake,
The Names,
ABBA,
Groovy Waters,
Nation of Ulysses,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Quantec,
Lou Christie,
Brass Construction,
The Birthday Party,
Freddie Wadling,
Index,
Negative Approach,
The Offenders,
Second Layer,
Gang of Four,
The Residents,
Roxy Music,
Pet Shop Boys,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The Tremeloes,
Warren Ellis,
Pantaleimon,
Lungfish,
Reagan Youth,
the Sonics,
The Velvet Underground,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Underground Resistance,
The Young Rascals,
DJ Style,
Thee Headcoats,
The Fire Engines,
Clear Light,
Sugar Minott,
Reuben Wilson,
Girls At Our Best!,
Black Sheep,
Quando Quango,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Joe Finger,
Wings,
Al Stewart,
Loose Ends,
Khruangbin,
A Flock of Seagulls,
The Last Poets,
Aaron Thompson,
Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes.
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.