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 Papua New Guinea 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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Fluxion to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Jeru the Damaja. All the underground hits.
All Make Up tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every U.S. Maple record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Normal,
Swell Maps,
Little Man,
Con Funk Shun,
The Birthday Party,
The Mummies,
Gang Green,
Angry Samoans,
X-101,
The Angels of Light,
Ronan,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
These Immortal Souls,
Toni Rubio,
Lou Reed,
Barbara Tucker,
The Gladiators,
Fluxion,
The Monks,
The Star Department,
June Days,
LL Cool J,
Lalann,
Magazine,
The Fall,
Spoonie Gee,
Scott Walker,
Agent Orange,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Swans,
Cheater Slicks,
Funky Four + One,
Urselle,
John Coltrane,
Donny Hathaway,
Barry Ungar,
John Holt,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Delon & Dalcan,
Accadde A,
The Happenings,
Yellowson,
The Motions,
Graham Central Station,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Eric B and Rakim,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Moby Grape,
Peter & Gordon,
The Slackers,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Metal Thangz,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
James White and The Blacks,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
8 Eyed Spy,
Junior Murvin,
The Selecter,
Harmonia,
Clear Light,
A Certain Ratio,
Gichy Dan,
Black Bananas, Black Bananas, Black Bananas, Black Bananas.
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.