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 Rwanda and from Salvador.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Calgary.
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 1968 at the first Can practice in a loft in Cologne.
I was working on the oboe 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 Wally Richardson to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Technova. All the underground hits.
All The Litter tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every London Community Gospel Choir record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 guitar and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tears for Fears record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Swans,
Godley & Creme,
Marc Almond,
The Blackbyrds,
Fad Gadget,
Livin' Joy,
The Gun Club,
the Sonics,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Pulsallama,
Depeche Mode,
Trumans Water,
The Shadows of Knight,
Todd Rundgren,
Albert Ayler,
Robert Wyatt,
Animal Collective,
The Barracudas,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Chris & Cosey,
8 Eyed Spy,
Section 25,
Max Romeo,
David McCallum,
Sister Nancy,
Throbbing Gristle,
Warsaw,
The Invisible,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Letta Mbulu,
Unwound,
Monks,
The Cowsills,
Liliput,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
the Slits,
These Immortal Souls,
Roy Ayers,
Cluster,
The Names,
The Black Dice,
48th St. Collective,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Kayak,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Busters,
Man Parrish,
The Young Rascals,
Black Flag,
Soul II Soul,
Henry Cow,
Flash Fearless,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Gories,
DJ Style,
the Normal,
Pagans,
Michelle Simonal,
The Fire Engines,
10cc,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith.
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.