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 Sudan and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the rhodes sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Brass Construction to the electroclash 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 The Blackbyrds tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every New Age Steppers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dorothy Ashby record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Gichy Dan,
Yellowson,
Faraquet,
Man Parrish,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Hardrive,
Ten City,
The Five Americans,
Bob Dylan,
Whodini,
The J.B.'s,
Glenn Branca,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Camberwell Now,
Stiv Bators,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Brass Construction,
Unrelated Segments,
Radio Birdman,
Jacob Miller,
Model 500,
The Busters,
Index,
Kayak,
Sugar Minott,
The Invisible,
Tropical Tobacco,
Soul II Soul,
The Count Five,
Jawbox,
Terry Callier,
Arthur Verocai,
Q and Not U,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Tim Buckley,
Toni Rubio,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Charles Mingus,
Brand Nubian,
Chrome,
Joyce Sims,
Kurtis Blow,
Byron Stingily,
Monks,
Popol Vuh,
Eli Mardock,
Wings,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Black Pus,
Malaria!,
Flash Fearless,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Funky Four + One,
Radiohead,
Lalann,
UT,
Leonard Cohen,
Hasil Adkins,
Moby Grape,
Archie Shepp,
Mark Hollis,
Ken Boothe, Ken Boothe, Ken Boothe, Ken Boothe.
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.