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 Cameroon and from Lille.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Ultramagnetic MC's to the rock kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Negative Approach. All the underground hits.
All Talk Talk tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every De La Soul & Jungle Brothers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 chamberlin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Human League 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?
Flamin' Groovies,
Bizarre Inc.,
Gang Gang Dance,
Deadbeat,
Grandmaster Flash,
Yaz,
The Remains,
Throbbing Gristle,
Ultimate Spinach,
the Normal,
Peter & Gordon,
Prince Buster,
Colin Newman,
Cameo,
Joey Negro,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Swell Maps,
Bill Near,
UT,
Quadrant,
Anthony Braxton,
The J.B.'s,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Slackers,
Gregory Isaacs,
Barbara Tucker,
Sight & Sound,
These Immortal Souls,
Wire,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Mars,
Chrome,
Sixth Finger,
Oblivians,
The Names,
Juan Atkins,
Sun Ra,
Swans,
Joyce Sims,
Anakelly,
T.S.O.L.,
The Divine Comedy,
Dennis Brown,
Japan,
Guru Guru,
Yusef Lateef,
Eric B and Rakim,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Mary Jane Girls,
Easy Going,
Minny Pops,
Das Ding,
Joensuu 1685,
The Cramps,
Masters at Work,
Terry Callier,
Youth Brigade,
The Real Kids,
F. McDonald,
The Shadows of Knight,
Organ,
Nils Olav,
Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones.
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.