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 Malta and from Philadelphia.
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 1967 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Bizarre Inc. to the techno 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 Prince Buster. All the underground hits.
All Fifty Foot Hose tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Reed 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Glenn Branca,
Easy Going,
The Last Poets,
Pantaleimon,
Gang Starr,
the Germs,
Matthew Bourne,
Charles Mingus,
The Star Department,
The Standells,
Marcia Griffiths,
Saccharine Trust,
The Cure,
Ultravox,
Cymande,
Ice-T,
Howard Jones,
Donald Byrd,
Ultimate Spinach,
Godley & Creme,
The Pop Group,
Minutemen,
Jerry's Kids,
Groovy Waters,
Dual Sessions,
Liliput,
Unwound,
Wolf Eyes,
Rekid,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The J.B.'s,
Arcadia,
Freddie Wadling,
Duran Duran,
Q and Not U,
The Pretty Things,
Theoretical Girls,
Qualms,
The Vogues,
Black Flag,
Ossler,
Fad Gadget,
Suicide,
Eve St. Jones,
The Saints,
Cal Tjader,
Zero Boys,
Sun City Girls,
Spandau Ballet,
The Grass Roots,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
the Human League,
Black Moon,
The Residents,
Deepchord,
The Smiths,
The Toasters,
The Leaves,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims.
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.