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 Bolivia and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Alton Ellis to the dance kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Nico. All the underground hits.
All Arthur Verocai tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Yazoo 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Reuben Wilson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Q and Not U,
Boredoms,
Mr. Review,
Technova,
Black Flag,
Terry Callier,
Colin Newman,
the Sonics,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Chris & Cosey,
The Martian,
EPMD,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Black Bananas,
Toni Rubio,
KRS-One,
Pole,
The Sonics,
Charles Mingus,
the Germs,
New York Dolls,
Panda Bear,
Joensuu 1685,
Rosa Yemen,
Sex Pistols,
Fat Boys,
The Remains,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Peter & Gordon,
Second Layer,
Crash Course in Science,
The Barracudas,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
X-102,
The Monochrome Set,
Moby Grape,
Ken Boothe,
Slave,
Idris Muhammad,
Nik Kershaw,
Royal Trux,
the Human League,
Patti Smith,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Chris Corsano,
Funky Four + One,
The Gories,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Slick Rick,
Wasted Youth,
Radiohead,
Severed Heads,
Basic Channel,
The Techniques,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Tubeway Army,
Jerry's Kids,
Angry Samoans,
Niagra,
Soul II Soul,
Massinfluence,
Urselle, Urselle, Urselle, Urselle.
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.