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 Libya and from Stockholm.
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 1966 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Seoul.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 It's A Beautiful Day to the disco 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 New Age Steppers. All the underground hits.
All Pharoah Sanders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sugar Minott 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rufus Thomas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Warren Ellis,
Das Ding,
The Gun Club,
Infiniti,
The Gap Band,
FM Einheit,
The Red Krayola,
Erykah Badu,
Fat Boys,
the Sonics,
Au Pairs,
Circle Jerks,
Vainqueur,
Siglo XX,
Piero Umiliani,
Derrick May,
Popol Vuh,
The Saints,
The Gladiators,
Juan Atkins,
JFA,
Amazonics,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Massinfluence,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Public Enemy,
The Index,
June Days,
Public Image Ltd.,
Harpers Bizarre,
Sun Ra,
Bill Wells,
Spandau Ballet,
The Doors,
Masters at Work,
B.T. Express,
The Five Americans,
T.S.O.L.,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
the Human League,
Johnny Osbourne,
Pole,
Royal Trux,
Sällskapet,
Nas,
The Knickerbockers,
Negative Approach,
Barclay James Harvest,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Eric Copeland,
The Human League,
Danielle Patucci,
The Mojo Men,
Aswad,
The Real Kids,
Laurel Aitken,
Lindisfarne,
Max Romeo,
Fear, Fear, Fear, Fear.
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.