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 Nigeria and from Bologna.
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 Glasgow and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the sitar 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 Crispy Ambulance to the grime 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 T.S.O.L.. All the underground hits.
All Ken Boothe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Glenn Branca record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gregory Isaacs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Slits,
Cameo,
Jacob Miller,
Nils Olav,
Youth Brigade,
The Monks,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Offenders,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Marine Girls,
Scrapy,
Michelle Simonal,
Sex Pistols,
The Beau Brummels,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Gastr Del Sol,
Oblivians,
Surgeon,
Godley & Creme,
Pagans,
Jerry's Kids,
Black Pus,
Eric Copeland,
Tres Demented,
Public Enemy,
Shuggie Otis,
The Walker Brothers,
Interpol,
Das Ding,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Ultimate Spinach,
La Düsseldorf,
Television,
Letta Mbulu,
Electric Prunes,
Lalann,
Soul II Soul,
Sparks,
The Monochrome Set,
Rapeman,
The J.B.'s,
Lower 48,
The Gun Club,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Barracudas,
The Sound,
Bill Wells,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Spandau Ballet,
Bad Manners,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Marcia Griffiths,
Barrington Levy,
Ken Boothe,
Dave Gahan,
Depeche Mode,
Absolute Body Control,
Barbara Tucker,
Wolf Eyes,
Reuben Wilson,
The Fire Engines,
One Last Wish,
U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple.
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.