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 Morocco and from Hong Kong.
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 1964 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Pantaleimon to the punk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Brand Nubian. All the underground hits.
All The American Breed tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tears for Fears record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Althea and Donna record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Robert Hood,
Panda Bear,
Bronski Beat,
Slick Rick,
The Alarm Clocks,
The Dave Clark Five,
Wire,
Alton Ellis,
The Saints,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Detroit Cobras,
Tommy Roe,
The Count Five,
Pole,
Mission of Burma,
The Tremeloes,
Cameo,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Kinks,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Scrapy,
10cc,
Kevin Saunderson,
The American Breed,
Depeche Mode,
Arthur Verocai,
Rotary Connection,
Stiv Bators,
Idris Muhammad,
EPMD,
The Five Americans,
DJ Sneak,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
The Music Machine,
Liliput,
Dorothy Ashby,
David Axelrod,
Bad Manners,
Big Daddy Kane,
Bang On A Can,
Livin' Joy,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Amon Düül,
Maleditus Sound,
Sugar Minott,
Minnie Riperton,
Michelle Simonal,
Zero Boys,
The Star Department,
Neu!,
Archie Shepp,
Joyce Sims,
Frankie Knuckles,
Spandau Ballet,
The Litter,
Das Ding,
The Gun Club,
Trumans Water,
Joy Division,
June of 44,
Lou Reed,
Malaria!, Malaria!, Malaria!, Malaria!.
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.