Mojo Nixon RIP

 The joke punk band Dead Milkmen were super popular with the high school crowd that I hung with (as was the Violent Femmes). I loved them but also found a couple of related artists that I think I made my own. 

One of those was Mojo Nixon. Nixon had a couple of hits (hits being a loose term) in “Elvis is Everywhere” and “Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with my two headed Love Child”. 

I bought the two accompanying albums -1987s Bo-Day-Shus and 1989s Root Hog or Die - records made by Nixon and his partner Skid Roper who famously played the washboard among his other instruments. 

The duo broke up after that. According to Wikipedia, Roper has a lesser profile solo career fronting surf named the Evasions and joining Action Andy and the Hi- Tones with Andy Rasmussen of the rockabilly band the Sleepwalkers but he is still busy. 

I played these two albums a lot and though the singles are clearly high points- the formula of Mojo - crazy loud foul mouthed Libertarian- holds these albums together. They’re not bad bits of root rock. 

I didn’t pick up 1990s Otis but it got decent press and even improbably gave Nixon another chestnut “Don Henley Must Die”. Unfortunately, Enigma Records - the place for all sorts of esoteric rock (Dead Milkmen, Wipers, Roky Erickson, Game Theory, TSOL, Green on Red) and all sorts of metal and thrash (from Stryper to Laaz Rockit to Slayer to DRI to Poison) went under. 

Things go downhill career wise quickly  with 95s Whereabouts Unknown. Even with a cover of the Smiths’ “Girlfriend in a Coma” - which feels like a poor cousin to Elvis is Everywhere- it’s clear that inspiration had ran dry. 

There is another unexpected jewel in the Nixon discography. In 1994, he teamed with Jello Biafra for Prairie Home Invasion. I was so excited about it that I special ordered it from Alternative Tentacles

It is the definition of a cult album but it’s a pretty solid set of tunes - many covers or parodies - in which an almost-retired Biafra got his voice out there again in a roots rock section. The contemporary online reviews from Allmusic and Punk News are mostly bad, but miss the point. I think it stands up.

Mojo would pop up from time to time. He was in movies like Great Balls of Fire, voiced a character in the video game Redneck Rampage and got publicity for supporting Kinky Friedman’s bid to be governor of Texas.  He even made up with Don Henley. 

He would tour. I never saw him but recall friends telling me how smashed he was before performing. 

Reading the obit of Nixon, he started wanting to be Joe Strummer. He would become an icon in his own way instead. Though critics would dismiss him for not being serious enough like Uncle Tupelo or the Bottle Rockets, I think he’s an important touchstone in American Roots Rock. 

Nixon’s latter music career is more known for its outrage than its listen ability. Mojo would have a bit of a rebirth though as a DJ. 

When Sirius XM radio launched its Outlaw Country channel and gave hosting duties to people like Steve Earle, Shooter Jennings and former WWF wrestler Hillbilly Jim, Nixon also got a daily show. 

I rarely listened though because at the time I was able to listen, I had small kids and Nixon was as foul mouthed as it came. Still, it was nice to see him became as close to a distinguished aging gentleman as he was likely to get. 

Elvis is Everwhere is an amazing song. The perfect mix of humor and sincerity. It’s probably surprising that Mojo made it to 66 but he will be missed