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 Mauritania and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 güiro 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 The Moleskins to the punk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Sad Lovers and Giants. All the underground hits.
All Todd Rundgren tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marvin Gaye record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 harpsichord and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gerry Rafferty record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pierre Henry,
Eric Dolphy,
The Toasters,
JFA,
Oblivians,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Slave,
Eric B and Rakim,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Skarface,
Adolescents,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Organ,
Franke,
Bill Near,
Soul Sonic Force,
48th St. Collective,
Rhythm & Sound,
Fad Gadget,
Isaac Hayes,
Funkadelic,
The Dead C,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Lyres,
Black Moon,
Lou Christie,
Lungfish,
Aloha Tigers,
Don Cherry,
Cheater Slicks,
X-101,
Man Parrish,
The Offenders,
Traffic Nightmare,
Babytalk,
Aswad,
Hashim,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Bootsy Collins,
Motorama,
X-102,
Sun Ra,
The American Breed,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
H. Thieme,
Camberwell Now,
Ultimate Spinach,
Rotary Connection,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Eddi Front,
Bronski Beat,
Todd Terry,
Rakim,
Avey Tare,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Minnie Riperton,
Magma,
Royal Trux,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Glenn Branca,
Eve St. Jones,
Lalann, Lalann, Lalann, Lalann.
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.