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 Congo and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1961 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Grauzone to the techno 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 Qualms. All the underground hits.
All Absolute Body Control tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Unrelated Segments 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radio Birdman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Von Mondo,
Sam Rivers,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Marc Almond,
The Birthday Party,
Lou Christie,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
The Sonics,
PIL,
Ludus,
Eric B and Rakim,
Excepter,
Roxy Music,
The Monochrome Set,
New Age Steppers,
Subhumans,
Delon & Dalcan,
Flipper,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Sun Ra,
The Litter,
The Dave Clark Five,
Public Image Ltd.,
Boredoms,
Desert Stars,
Radio Birdman,
T.S.O.L.,
The Count Five,
Popol Vuh,
Y Pants,
Buzzcocks,
DJ Sneak,
Inner City,
Magma,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Whodini,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Henry Cow,
Moby Grape,
Faust,
The Alarm Clocks,
JFA,
Throbbing Gristle,
Althea and Donna,
These Immortal Souls,
The Blues Magoos,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Gun Club,
Freddie Wadling,
The Wake,
The Mojo Men,
EPMD,
The Five Americans,
Chrome,
Prince Buster,
Leonard Cohen,
Aural Exciters,
Yellowson,
Electric Prunes,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Robert Görl,
The Slackers,
Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar.
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.