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 Sri Lanka and from Glasgow.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the güiro 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 Wire to the rap 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 Jerry's Kids. All the underground hits.
All Pole tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Zeros record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Joensuu 1685 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Dave Clark Five,
Pagans,
The Doobie Brothers,
Slick Rick,
Fugazi,
Sparks,
The Blackbyrds,
Nico,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Star Department,
Q and Not U,
Nas,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Byron Stingily,
Sarah Menescal,
Agent Orange,
The Slits,
DJ Sneak,
The Raincoats,
Eric B and Rakim,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Gong,
Boogie Down Productions,
Smog,
the Sonics,
Todd Rundgren,
John Holt,
Howard Jones,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Rosa Yemen,
Oblivians,
Bush Tetras,
Average White Band,
Mandrill,
The Trojans,
Lee Hazlewood,
Chrome,
Lakeside,
Alphaville,
Warsaw,
Kool Moe Dee,
Little Man,
Sixth Finger,
The Mummies,
ABC,
Schoolly D,
Ossler,
F. McDonald,
Babytalk,
Urselle,
Fear,
Hasil Adkins,
Patti Smith,
Moss Icon,
Main Source,
Fad Gadget,
Michelle Simonal,
Deadbeat,
Gang of Four,
Glambeats Corp.,
Bill Wells,
Amon Düül II, Amon Düül II, Amon Düül II, Amon Düül II.
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.