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 Turkey and from Columbus.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Soft Cell to the rock 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 Blake Baxter. All the underground hits.
All Flamin' Groovies tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Barbara Tucker 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 spring reverb and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Janne Schatter record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Icehouse,
Rosa Yemen,
Donny Hathaway,
Sarah Menescal,
The Invisible,
Alphaville,
the Normal,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Fat Boys,
Duran Duran,
The Remains,
The Doors,
Brand Nubian,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Schoolly D,
The Mummies,
Barrington Levy,
The Skatalites,
Pulsallama,
Ralphi Rosario,
Section 25,
Donald Byrd,
Blake Baxter,
Main Source,
Fatback Band,
The New Christs,
Joey Negro,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
World's Most,
Isaac Hayes,
The Neon Judgement,
The Sonics,
Magma,
The Walker Brothers,
Bootsy Collins,
The Cowsills,
Dead Boys,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Ultra Naté,
Royal Trux,
Yazoo,
The Modern Lovers,
Bluetip,
Bronski Beat,
Andrew Hill,
The United States of America,
Grauzone,
Jerry's Kids,
The Shadows of Knight,
10cc,
Grandmaster Flash,
Sexual Harrassment,
Silicon Teens,
Black Sheep,
the Slits,
Joensuu 1685,
The Vogues,
R.M.O.,
New Age Steppers,
The Victims,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The Kinks,
Quadrant, Quadrant, Quadrant, Quadrant.
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.