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 Zimbabwe and from Hong Kong.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 marimba 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 Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Black Sheep. All the underground hits.
All The Men They Couldn't Hang tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Howard Jones 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Be Bop Deluxe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Divine Comedy,
The Smiths,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Lalann,
The Mojo Men,
Henry Cow,
ABC,
The Motions,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Moebius,
New York Dolls,
Todd Rundgren,
Sugar Minott,
Clear Light,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Grauzone,
Kurtis Blow,
Stiv Bators,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Move,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Marmalade,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
A Certain Ratio,
The Mummies,
Sparks,
The Fugs,
Vainqueur,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Sound,
The Selecter,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Spandau Ballet,
Lou Reed,
Metal Thangz,
Albert Ayler,
Procol Harum,
Severed Heads,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Basic Channel,
Hoover,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
One Last Wish,
John Cale,
Marcia Griffiths,
the Bar-Kays,
The Flesh Eaters,
Tubeway Army,
Slick Rick,
L. Decosne,
Symarip,
Gregory Isaacs,
Pussy Galore,
Roy Ayers,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
10cc,
John Foxx,
The Human League,
Scratch Acid,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Max Romeo,
Jawbox,
F. McDonald,
Mad Mike, Mad Mike, Mad Mike, Mad Mike.
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.