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 Iraq 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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Bremen.
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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the güiro 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 Shadows of Knight to the crunk 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 The Slits. All the underground hits.
All One Last Wish tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cure record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rekid record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
Smog,
Scion,
Make Up,
Monolake,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Fad Gadget,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Althea and Donna,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Saints,
Toni Rubio,
Harry Pussy,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Suburban Knight,
Tropical Tobacco,
Magma,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Soul Sonic Force,
Youth Brigade,
Eve St. Jones,
Agent Orange,
Lightning Bolt,
Marvin Gaye,
Sarah Menescal,
The Smiths,
Bobby Byrd,
Parry Music,
Eli Mardock,
New York Dolls,
Ponytail,
OOIOO,
Grauzone,
Hashim,
JFA,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Graham Central Station,
Franke,
In Retrospect,
Marmalade,
Livin' Joy,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Jandek,
The Smoke,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Seeds,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Detroit Cobras,
Goldenarms,
Spandau Ballet,
The Evens,
Black Moon,
Spoonie Gee,
Jacob Miller,
Duran Duran,
X-101,
Excepter,
Dorothy Ashby, Dorothy Ashby, Dorothy Ashby, Dorothy Ashby.
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.