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 Somalia and from Stockholm.
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 1961 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 1971 at the first Neu! practice in a loft in Düsseldorf.
I was working on the 808 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 Altered Images to the rap kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Slits. All the underground hits.
All Electric Light Orchestra tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The New Christs 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The United States of America,
PIL,
Mission of Burma,
the Association,
The Standells,
Eli Mardock,
Procol Harum,
The Selecter,
Joey Negro,
In Retrospect,
Audionom,
the Swans,
Altered Images,
Royal Trux,
The Smoke,
Heaven 17,
John Cale,
Harmonia,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Scan 7,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Excepter,
Darondo,
Anakelly,
Y Pants,
Barrington Levy,
The Cramps,
Letta Mbulu,
Colin Newman,
The Wake,
Flamin' Groovies,
the Human League,
The Doors,
Joy Division,
Tommy Roe,
Tomorrow,
Laurel Aitken,
The Names,
Prince Buster,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Reuben Wilson,
The Raincoats,
Kas Product,
Ronnie Foster,
The Smiths,
Unrelated Segments,
Ossler,
EPMD,
Erasure,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Tres Demented,
Albert Ayler,
Main Source,
Danielle Patucci,
The Residents,
Minutemen,
The Star Department,
The Dirtbombs,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Sun Ra,
Slick Rick,
The Mighty Diamonds, The Mighty Diamonds, The Mighty Diamonds, The Mighty Diamonds.
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.