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 Switzerland and from Houston.
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 New York and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Nation of Ulysses to the rap 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 La Düsseldorf. All the underground hits.
All Echo & the Bunnymen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every X-Ray Spex record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 an organ and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Boz Scaggs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
X-101,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
EPMD,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Gong,
Pet Shop Boys,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Nation of Ulysses,
Popol Vuh,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Ludus,
Chrome,
Easy Going,
Eric B and Rakim,
Sonny Sharrock,
Wolf Eyes,
Neil Young,
Quantec,
Fatback Band,
Country Teasers,
Joey Negro,
Johnny Osbourne,
Iggy Pop,
Yaz,
the Fania All-Stars,
Erykah Badu,
Alice Coltrane,
Lalann,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Dorothy Ashby,
Heaven 17,
B.T. Express,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Y Pants,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Bang On A Can,
PIL,
Peter and Kerry,
Ronan,
Lee Hazlewood,
Al Stewart,
Gil Scott Heron,
Newcleus,
The Gun Club,
Magma,
Sixth Finger,
The Doors,
Susan Cadogan,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Amon Düül,
The Angels of Light,
Donny Hathaway,
Jesper Dahlback,
Bobby Womack,
ABBA,
Von Mondo,
Marvin Gaye,
Television,
Anakelly,
Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel.
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.