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 Brunei and from Sao Paulo.
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 1968 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Edmonton and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Winnipeg 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Dirtbombs to the crunk 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 Bad Manners. All the underground hits.
All X-101 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Wolf Eyes 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Saints record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Oblivians,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
the Slits,
Bad Manners,
David Axelrod,
Motorama,
Avey Tare,
Judy Mowatt,
Neil Young,
Warsaw,
Boredoms,
Marmalade,
Sarah Menescal,
The Mummies,
Rakim,
Flipper,
Boz Scaggs,
Crispy Ambulance,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Ash Ra Tempel,
John Cale,
Main Source,
Monolake,
Metal Thangz,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Urselle,
Jawbox,
H. Thieme,
Pet Shop Boys,
Basic Channel,
Lucky Dragons,
Big Daddy Kane,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Scrapy,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Barracudas,
Wolf Eyes,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Barbara Tucker,
Vainqueur,
Ultra Naté,
The Monochrome Set,
The Busters,
Audionom,
The Searchers,
Prince Buster,
Ituana,
Gang of Four,
Barrington Levy,
the Fania All-Stars,
Nas,
The Cramps,
Fad Gadget,
Quantec,
AZ,
Jandek,
Shoche,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Traffic Nightmare,
Gichy Dan,
Gil Scott Heron,
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.