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 Belize and from Spokane.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Dave Clark Five to the crunk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Echospace. All the underground hits.
All Sad Lovers and Giants tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Remains record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Country Teasers,
Cheater Slicks,
Little Man,
Mantronix,
Camberwell Now,
Traffic Nightmare,
Sister Nancy,
Soul II Soul,
Groovy Waters,
June Days,
Andrew Hill,
Porter Ricks,
Bronski Beat,
Average White Band,
Radio Birdman,
Joey Negro,
Livin' Joy,
David Axelrod,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Pantytec,
Ronnie Foster,
AZ,
New York Dolls,
Arab on Radar,
Jawbox,
Flash Fearless,
Lee Hazlewood,
This Heat,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Joe Finger,
Brass Construction,
Mars,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Scrapy,
Chris & Cosey,
Clear Light,
Qualms,
Buzzcocks,
The American Breed,
Tom Boy,
Thompson Twins,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Lungfish,
Masters at Work,
Minor Threat,
Minutemen,
Pussy Galore,
Aural Exciters,
X-102,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Sight & Sound,
T. Rex,
Kurtis Blow,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Mandrill,
Silicon Teens,
Swell Maps,
The Flesh Eaters,
The United States of America, The United States of America, The United States of America, The United States of America.
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.