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 Estonia and from Spokane.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Gerry Rafferty to the funk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Bar-Kays. All the underground hits.
All Mantronix tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every A Certain Ratio record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brand Nubian record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sun Ra,
Ultimate Spinach,
John Holt,
The Fall,
Black Pus,
the Human League,
Schoolly D,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Smiths,
Skarface,
Soul II Soul,
Moebius,
the Slits,
Agitation Free,
The Neon Judgement,
Subhumans,
Skaos,
Chris & Cosey,
Magazine,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
EPMD,
The Associates,
Scion,
L. Decosne,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Liliput,
Popol Vuh,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Brass Construction,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Trojans,
Marvin Gaye,
Smog,
Aswad,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Shadows of Knight,
Joe Finger,
Easy Going,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Banda Bassotti,
Yusef Lateef,
The Dave Clark Five,
Pylon,
Tomorrow,
Clear Light,
Lower 48,
The Sound,
Gang Green,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Crime,
The Red Krayola,
The Fortunes,
K-Klass,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Prince Buster,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Stooges,
Soulsonic Force,
Television Personalities, Television Personalities, Television Personalities, Television Personalities.
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.