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 Dominica and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 EPMD to the techno kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Panda Bear. All the underground hits.
All The Cramps tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Birthday Party 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Manfred Mann's Earth Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bobby Hutcherson,
Gil Scott Heron,
Albert Ayler,
Agitation Free,
Joe Finger,
Deadbeat,
The Beau Brummels,
the Bar-Kays,
Soft Machine,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Dave Gahan,
Pantytec,
The New Christs,
Audionom,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
World's Most,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Whodini,
Howard Jones,
Country Teasers,
Tom Boy,
Groovy Waters,
Popol Vuh,
Brand Nubian,
Aloha Tigers,
Chris Corsano,
Young Marble Giants,
Bauhaus,
Ronnie Foster,
Wolf Eyes,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Dennis Brown,
This Heat,
The Dave Clark Five,
Big Daddy Kane,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Arab on Radar,
Skaos,
Juan Atkins,
Lower 48,
The Tremeloes,
Prince Buster,
Crispian St. Peters,
Delta 5,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Saints,
Nick Fraelich,
Soft Cell,
Intrusion,
Kerrie Biddell,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Trojans,
Quadrant,
Soul Sonic Force,
Junior Murvin,
Magma,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Velvet Underground,
Crispy Ambulance,
Barrington Levy, Barrington Levy, Barrington Levy, Barrington Levy.
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.