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 Brazil and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1962 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Spandau Ballet to the dance kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Marine Girls. All the underground hits.
All Camouflage tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Wasted Youth record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ronan record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Knickerbockers,
Aural Exciters,
The Index,
F. McDonald,
The Offenders,
Kevin Saunderson,
Nils Olav,
The Mighty Diamonds,
This Heat,
Jawbox,
The Slits,
Lalann,
John Cale,
Todd Terry,
Accadde A,
Electric Prunes,
Los Fastidios,
The Raincoats,
The Dave Clark Five,
Brick,
JFA,
Camberwell Now,
Albert Ayler,
X-102,
Spandau Ballet,
Stiv Bators,
Porter Ricks,
Harry Pussy,
Chrome,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Judy Mowatt,
The Vogues,
Reagan Youth,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Skriet,
Royal Trux,
Liliput,
ABC,
The Durutti Column,
Pylon,
Gerry Rafferty,
Reuben Wilson,
Niagra,
Brand Nubian,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Cal Tjader,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Jerry's Kids,
The Happenings,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Yusef Lateef,
Fear,
Johnny Osbourne,
Sonny Sharrock,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Mantronix,
Eddi Front,
Oneida,
the Fania All-Stars,
Jandek,
The Fortunes,
The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs, The Fugs.
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.