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 Nauru and from Glasgow.
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 1962 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 Main Source to the grunge 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 Silicon Teens. All the underground hits.
All Alton Ellis tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Spoonie Gee record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Wire record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ralphi Rosario,
Roxette,
10cc,
Second Layer,
Gastr Del Sol,
the Swans,
Eurythmics,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Juan Atkins,
EPMD,
Mantronix,
A Certain Ratio,
Jeff Lynne,
Theoretical Girls,
Bluetip,
Spoonie Gee,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Deepchord,
Panda Bear,
Soul Sonic Force,
Joy Division,
Rapeman,
Slave,
Supertramp,
Black Sheep,
Marc Almond,
The Real Kids,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Walker Brothers,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Erykah Badu,
ABC,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Junior Murvin,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Tubeway Army,
the Bar-Kays,
Isaac Hayes,
Y Pants,
Hashim,
Little Man,
Zero Boys,
Susan Cadogan,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Anakelly,
Piero Umiliani,
The Associates,
Boogie Down Productions,
Charles Mingus,
Agent Orange,
New Order,
In Retrospect,
The Mummies,
Slick Rick,
the Slits,
Throbbing Gristle,
Freddie Wadling,
Pylon,
Scratch Acid,
Japan, Japan, Japan, Japan.
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.