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 Luxembourg and from Johannesburg.
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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Sun Ra to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Marmalade. All the underground hits.
All Lou Reed & John Cale tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 harpsichord and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gian Franco Pienzio record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Idris Muhammad,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Slackers,
Scientists,
Bill Near,
Eric B and Rakim,
the Germs,
Little Man,
Dawn Penn,
Gastr Del Sol,
The Doors,
Bobbi Humphrey,
E-Dancer,
Boredoms,
The Barracudas,
Gil Scott Heron,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
The Seeds,
The Selecter,
These Immortal Souls,
Camouflage,
the Normal,
The Electric Prunes,
the Fania All-Stars,
Crispy Ambulance,
The Saints,
Jesper Dahlback,
Dual Sessions,
DJ Style,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Move,
Susan Cadogan,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Names,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Neil Young,
Electric Prunes,
Altered Images,
The Birthday Party,
Von Mondo,
Grauzone,
the Human League,
Grey Daturas,
Scott Walker,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Pretty Things,
Kayak,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Aswad,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Juan Atkins,
Sixth Finger,
Henry Cow,
New Age Steppers,
Archie Shepp,
Dennis Brown,
Moebius,
The Moody Blues,
Basic Channel,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Kinks,
Television Personalities, Television Personalities, Television Personalities, Television Personalities.
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.