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 Antigua and from Beijing.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and Spokane.
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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the linndrum 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 Fela Kuti to the punk 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 Frankie Knuckles. All the underground hits.
All Lonnie Liston Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fad Gadget record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Eric Dolphy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
La Düsseldorf,
Malaria!,
Gang Starr,
The Electric Prunes,
Mars,
UT,
Television,
Ossler,
Ultra Naté,
Gang Gang Dance,
Rod Modell,
Cheater Slicks,
June Days,
Clear Light,
Eric B and Rakim,
In Retrospect,
Nirvana,
Sarah Menescal,
Porter Ricks,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Blossom Toes,
Wolf Eyes,
Leonard Cohen,
Adolescents,
Warren Ellis,
Rufus Thomas,
Supertramp,
Althea and Donna,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Cowsills,
Letta Mbulu,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Goldenarms,
Half Japanese,
Andrew Hill,
Au Pairs,
Oblivians,
The Doors,
Skriet,
Thee Headcoats,
Black Sheep,
The Raincoats,
John Coltrane,
the Slits,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
World's Most,
Sugar Minott,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Flipper,
The Remains,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Urselle,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Slackers,
Ice-T,
Barry Ungar,
Bauhaus, Bauhaus, Bauhaus, Bauhaus.
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.