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 Burkina and from Delhi.
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 1968 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Soul II Soul to the rap kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Al Stewart. All the underground hits.
All Bronski Beat tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Slave 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Throbbing Gristle,
The Fuzztones,
X-Ray Spex,
Symarip,
Matthew Bourne,
Deadbeat,
Suburban Knight,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Black Pus,
The Gap Band,
Audionom,
Ash Ra Tempel,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Das Ding,
Glambeats Corp.,
Qualms,
Arcadia,
Lalann,
Mantronix,
Sam Rivers,
James White and The Blacks,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Thee Headcoats,
Iggy Pop,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Yusef Lateef,
Radio Birdman,
Don Cherry,
ABC,
Jawbox,
AZ,
Lou Christie,
Eric Copeland,
Nico,
Skriet,
Sixth Finger,
Jeru the Damaja,
ABBA,
The American Breed,
Soul Sonic Force,
Motorama,
The Count Five,
The Gladiators,
Accadde A,
Kayak,
The Pretty Things,
Jandek,
These Immortal Souls,
FM Einheit,
Minnie Riperton,
Desert Stars,
Ultimate Spinach,
Kerri Chandler,
In Retrospect,
Los Fastidios,
Donald Byrd,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Associates,
Scientists,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Marvin Gaye,
H. Thieme,
Anakelly, Anakelly, Anakelly, Anakelly.
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.