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 Colombia and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1968 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Seoul.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the oboe 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 Chris & Cosey to the punk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Oneida. All the underground hits.
All Jeru the Damaja tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pharoah Sanders 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gary Puckett & The Union Gap record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Funky Four + One,
Peter and Kerry,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Detroit Cobras,
Wings,
Basic Channel,
Junior Murvin,
Jacques Brel,
These Immortal Souls,
Patti Smith,
Robert Wyatt,
This Heat,
Mo-Dettes,
The Fortunes,
Boz Scaggs,
Jawbox,
The Happenings,
Althea and Donna,
Fat Boys,
Au Pairs,
Suburban Knight,
John Holt,
The Stooges,
June Days,
Nico,
Tubeway Army,
Kenny Larkin,
It's A Beautiful Day,
F. McDonald,
Scientists,
Simply Red,
Skaos,
Grey Daturas,
Reuben Wilson,
Pantytec,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Kinks,
Flipper,
Rapeman,
Delon & Dalcan,
Television Personalities,
Kevin Saunderson,
DNA,
Hashim,
Can,
Tim Buckley,
the Association,
Boredoms,
Lungfish,
Gang Green,
Vladislav Delay,
Jesper Dahlback,
Visage,
the Slits,
Deadbeat,
Moby Grape,
Chris Corsano,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
The Smiths,
Jeff Lynne,
Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside.
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.