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 Bulgaria and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the mellotron 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 Gastr Del Sol to the jazz 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 Albert Ayler. All the underground hits.
All Severed Heads tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Electric Prunes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gil Scott Heron record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Junior Murvin,
Ludus,
Hot Snakes,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Letta Mbulu,
Roxette,
The Modern Lovers,
Rapeman,
The Cure,
Model 500,
Sex Pistols,
Visage,
Mary Jane Girls,
Colin Newman,
Ultravox,
The Neon Judgement,
The Cramps,
Heaven 17,
Sister Nancy,
Sällskapet,
Mad Mike,
The Five Americans,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Pantaleimon,
Ultimate Spinach,
Wasted Youth,
Marcia Griffiths,
Q65,
Guru Guru,
Quando Quango,
The Trojans,
Talk Talk,
EPMD,
The United States of America,
Rhythm & Sound,
Joey Negro,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Golliwogs,
the Bar-Kays,
Blossom Toes,
Cheater Slicks,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Davy DMX,
Aural Exciters,
Bang On A Can,
Barbara Tucker,
June of 44,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Pharoah Sanders,
Arcadia,
The Star Department,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Barrington Levy,
Lindisfarne,
Wings,
The J.B.'s,
Todd Rundgren,
James White and The Blacks,
Peter and Kerry,
The Mojo Men,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Alton Ellis,
Bill Wells, Bill Wells, Bill Wells, Bill Wells.
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.