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 Japan and from Seoul.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Janne Schatter to the funk 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 Jawbox. All the underground hits.
All Eric B and Rakim tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Barbara Tucker record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 an oboe and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Youth Brigade record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Human League,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Derrick May,
New Order,
The Stooges,
The Red Krayola,
Yazoo,
Bob Dylan,
Black Bananas,
Tim Buckley,
Roxette,
The Evens,
The Fortunes,
Hardrive,
Quantec,
8 Eyed Spy,
The Pretty Things,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Josef K,
Soul Sonic Force,
Pantaleimon,
Metal Thangz,
The Misunderstood,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Bill Near,
Marvin Gaye,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Offenders,
Suburban Knight,
Man Parrish,
Saccharine Trust,
Zapp,
Faraquet,
Fugazi,
Bobby Byrd,
Rotary Connection,
Khruangbin,
Jeff Lynne,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Ronan,
The Detroit Cobras,
Janne Schatter,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Associates,
Sugar Minott,
June of 44,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Maurizio,
Niagra,
Kurtis Blow,
Sarah Menescal,
Banda Bassotti,
Livin' Joy,
The Kinks,
Mission of Burma,
David McCallum,
The Saints,
Scan 7,
Prince Buster,
Gang Starr,
The Moleskins,
Magma, Magma, Magma, Magma.
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.