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 Bangladesh and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Jesus and Mary Chain to the grime 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 World's Most. All the underground hits.
All Unwound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The American Breed 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ossler record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Clear Light,
Kenny Larkin,
FM Einheit,
Make Up,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Ituana,
Pulsallama,
The Neon Judgement,
Faraquet,
Rapeman,
Sun Ra,
The Busters,
Pet Shop Boys,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Minor Threat,
Peter and Kerry,
The Slits,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Althea and Donna,
The Leaves,
Saccharine Trust,
the Sonics,
Graham Central Station,
The Gun Club,
The Skatalites,
The Barracudas,
Rufus Thomas,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Peter & Gordon,
David Axelrod,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Crash Course in Science,
Con Funk Shun,
the Fania All-Stars,
Grandmaster Flash,
Zapp,
Rod Modell,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Joyce Sims,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Metal Thangz,
Black Pus,
Khruangbin,
Oneida,
Pylon,
Bobby Byrd,
Popol Vuh,
Drive Like Jehu,
Tears for Fears,
Crispian St. Peters,
Davy DMX,
Throbbing Gristle,
New Order,
Cameo,
Alton Ellis,
Grey Daturas,
Buzzcocks,
Echospace,
Underground Resistance,
Anakelly,
Yazoo,
Scan 7, Scan 7, Scan 7, Scan 7.
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.