Mojo Nixon

Recently Tim sent me a Napster link to Mojo Nixon's last album, 1999's !Sock Ray Blue! I hadn't heard anything new from Mojo for many years now (but then I haven't been exactly keeping up with the alternative music scene lately).

Tim and I first heard, or even heard of, Mojo over 20 years ago(!) [the Fall of 1985, right, Tim?] at a bar after I moved to Rochester. Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper were the opening act for the "Beat Farmers" that night.

I remember there was confusion over the opening act as the bar had booked a local act as the opening act for the Beat Farmers.

8-25-85 The "Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper" album is released (frequently referred to by fans as "Free, Drunk And Horny" based on the cover art). Nixon and Roper take to the road in a '67 Malibu station wagon. They spend a high percentage of touring time following the Beat Farmers and being their opening act (many times as a surprise to even the club owners).

The "Beat Farmers" were who we went to see, and we got the extra treat of hearing Mojo and Skid. And yes, I remember Mojo and Skid talking about their station wagon and the drive up from their previous gig in Iowa.

A great late night of music as both acts brought lots of energy and irreverence that night. What rock 'n roll is all about! Not a typical night in dull Rochester.

Mojo writes pointed satirical funny songs in a rock 'n roll cowpunk bluesy way. He has offended a number of famous people and their fans, as you'll see when you read his short bio at the end of this. It is good to hear Mojo hasn't lost his vim and vigor 20 years later.

One of the most outsized personalities on college radio in the '80s, Mojo Nixon won a fervent cult following with his motor-mouthed redneck persona and a gonzo brand of satire with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Nixon had a particular knack for celebrity-themed novelty hits ("Elvis Is Everywhere," "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child," "Don Henley Must Die"), but he was prone to gleefully crass rants on a variety of social ills ("I Hate Banks," "Destroy All Lawyers," "I Ain't Gonna Piss In No Jar"), while celebrating lowbrow, blue-collar America in all its trashy, beer-soaked glory. All of it was performed in maximum overdrive on a bed of rockabilly, blues, and R&B, which earned Nixon some friends in the roots rock community but had enough punk attitude -- in its own bizarre way -- to make him a college radio staple during his heyday.

Apparently Mojo retired from singing and performing back in 2004 and now hosts a Sirius radio show.

Mojo Nixon'’s "The Loon in the Afternoon" & Saturday Night Demolition Derby

It's a redneck rampage with the irrepressible roots rock wildman Mojo Nixon broadcasting from his "Shack by the Sea" in Coronado, Ca.

Tune in every weekday from 4-8 pm ET and Saturday nights for back-to-back editions of his "Saturday Night Demolition Derby," an uncensored thrill-ride that celebrates the unheard demented psychotic underbelly of the American dream.

I seen some photos of Mojo from his farewell concert in 2004 and he certainly has gained weight since the photos of him from his younger days.


Here is the link to Mojo's !Sock Ray Blue! album on Napster (listen free).

Some of the songs I liked:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Lame
- You can't buy cool
- Machines Ain't Music/I Got My Mojo Working
- When did I become my dad

and many of the other songs are good.

"The Ballad of Country Dick" is about the drummer for the group the "Beat Farmers", now deceased. Country Dick was a cool guy the night we met him and the Beat Farmers, Mojo, and Skid.

The other Mojo Nixon (and Skid Roper) album listed on Napster, Bo-Day-Shus!!!, is one I own from back in 1987. A good album!

"Elvis is Everywhere"
"We Gotta have More Soul"
"I'm Gonna Dig up Howlin' Wolf"
"The Story of One Chord"
and many, many more great, fun songs!

Here is a site that has free mp3 songs from live Mojo shows. Gives you a feel of how much fun he is live.

Mojo's official website. His bio is funny. What a crazy life he's led. Anyone who has bicycled cross-country can't be all bad, or sane.

From his web site, here is a shortened version of his bio.



Listening to Mojo again after all these years makes me feel younger, puts a smile on my lips and a gleam in my eye.