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 Kiribati and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Skatalites to the techno kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Al Stewart. All the underground hits.
All Pet Shop Boys tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Suburban Knight 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Divine Comedy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Associates,
The Moleskins,
Skriet,
Pylon,
The Fugs,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Martian,
Suicide,
Desert Stars,
The Tremeloes,
The Red Krayola,
Easy Going,
Neil Young,
Outsiders,
Tim Buckley,
Quantec,
Stetsasonic,
The Skatalites,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Gabor Szabo,
Arthur Verocai,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Jerry's Kids,
Accadde A,
Freddie Wadling,
Graham Central Station,
Trumans Water,
The Sisters of Mercy,
The Cramps,
the Normal,
The Slits,
Aaron Thompson,
The Index,
Quando Quango,
Derrick May,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Count Five,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
48th St. Collective,
The Gap Band,
Marine Girls,
The Human League,
Oblivians,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
John Holt,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Ultimate Spinach,
Avey Tare,
Arab on Radar,
Isaac Hayes,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Bronski Beat,
The J.B.'s,
Harmonia,
The Electric Prunes,
Black Sheep,
Bill Wells,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers, Sam Rivers.
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.