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 Tanzania and from Bremen.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Zero Boys to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 the Human League. All the underground hits.
All Blossom Toes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Unwound record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sight & Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lightning Bolt,
The Residents,
Khruangbin,
The Detroit Cobras,
Lower 48,
Boz Scaggs,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Make Up,
UT,
Jandek,
LL Cool J,
Nas,
Radiohead,
Glenn Branca,
Gerry Rafferty,
Maurizio,
Sonny Sharrock,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Jerry's Kids,
Sex Pistols,
Ultimate Spinach,
Girls At Our Best!,
Dennis Brown,
Little Man,
The Blues Magoos,
John Lydon,
Bang On A Can,
The Martian,
The Count Five,
Kerrie Biddell,
Todd Rundgren,
John Coltrane,
Kurtis Blow,
Fugazi,
Depeche Mode,
Skaos,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Bronski Beat,
Spandau Ballet,
Whodini,
The Walker Brothers,
Inner City,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Public Enemy,
Gang Green,
Jimmy McGriff,
Byron Stingily,
The United States of America,
Audionom,
Deakin,
The American Breed,
Man Eating Sloth,
The Happenings,
H. Thieme,
Kenny Larkin,
Oblivians,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Pantaleimon,
Joyce Sims,
The Human League,
Television Personalities,
Aswad,
Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies, Flamin' Groovies.
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.