Mojo Nixon, the roots rock renegade who emerged from the American underground with his 1987 single “Elvis Is Everywhere” and maintained a career on the fringes of American culture, died after a cardiac event on Wednesday. He was 66 years old. His family confirmed his death with a post on Facebook.
In their statement, Nixon's family wrote: “How you live is how you should die. Mojo Nixon was full speed, wide open, rock hard, rampaging, corner on two wheels + on fire. Passing after a hot show, a furious night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners + a good breakfast with bandmates and friends. A cardiac event on the Outlaw Country Cruise is fine… and that's how he did it, Mojo left the building.”
Nixon's participation in the annual Outlaw Country Cruise was a side gig to his regular job as a DJ at SiriusXM, hosting the show “Loon in the Afternoon” on the satellite radio network's Outlaw Country channel. Disc jockey is one of the many roles Nixon played during his lifetime; He was also an actor, activist and comedian. The first of these was the court jester of cowpunk in the 1980s, playing in a vulgar and strident rockabilly duo with Skid Roper.
In his heyday, he said, “I like to think of myself as a combination of John Lee Hooker, Hunter Thompson and Richard Pryor, with a little bit of Patti Smith.” Gleefully dragging stars like Debbie Gibson and Don Henley into the gutter with him, Nixon became a college radio staple and later a familiar face on MTV. He became a beloved figure within alternative rock, as evidenced by his prominent position in a punchline to the Dead Milkmen's “Punk Rock Girl”: “If you don't have Mojo Nixon, then your store could use some repairs.”
Following the news of Nixon's death, David Lowery, the frontman of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, who was one of the rocker's bandmates in the 1980s, aware in X: “Mojo was a great person. Some of the best moments on tour were Camper Van Beethoven with Mojo and Skid.” American singer and songwriter Robbie Fulks aware: “There used to be really rude, profane, funny people in the country. Like 90 years ago. Then there was a glorious loudmouth, the Rickles of Sirius country. Good guy, even when he hit me.”
Nixon was born Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on August 2, 1957. Raised in Danville, Virginia, he fell in love with blues, rock and roll, and R&B, and was drawn to both the sound and the free sensitivity. in his heart. Nixon finished his undergraduate studies at the University of Miami and then headed to London to try to break into the burgeoning punk rock movement, only to find himself busking. He then headed to Denver, where he honed his provocative skills with the punk outfit Zebra 123; Legend has it that a poster advertising his “Assassination Ball” sparked an investigation by the Secret Service.
Invoking the name Mojo Nixon (it was a combination of “voodoo and bad politics”), he found his home in San Diego, where he befriended Country Dick Montana of the Beat Farmers, one of the founding bands of the burgeoning cowpunk. scene. He soon teamed up with Skid Roper (Nixon wrote the lyrics and sang, Roper played the music) and the pair won a Battle of the Bands contest where the prize was three hours of studio time. They came in, played three songs and used them as a calling card. They eventually attracted Enigma Records, which released the duo's self-titled debut in 1985. Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper soon became a fixture of the American rock underground, touring regularly, appearing on college radio and, with “ Stuffin' Martha's Muffin,” her badass ode to VJ Martha Quinn – earned the attention of MTV.
The music video network was ready to pounce on “Elvis Is Everywhere” when it was released as the first single from “Bo-Day-Shus!!!” 1987. Although it did not appear on the Billboard charts, “Elvis Is Everywhere” became a word-of-mouth hit, bringing Nixon into mainstream homes; He did promotions for MTV and appeared on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Teaming with producer Jim Dickinson, the Memphis maverick who recently helmed the Replacements' “Charled to Meet Me,” Nixon and Roper flexed their muscles on “Root Hog or Die,” a 1989 album that included “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant of my two children.” Headed love child”; Winona Ryder appeared in a video that MTV refused to air.
Nixon went solo with “Otis” in 1990, working with his old Country friend Dick Montana and John Doe of X. The greater ambition and broader palette helped the album climb the charts, as did “Don Henley Must Die,” a blow to the Eagles. singer who earned the admiration, not the ire, of his subject; Henley performed the song with Nixon at Austin's The Hole in the Wall in 1992. By that time, Nixon's label, Enigma, had imploded, halting any crossover momentum he had. A hairy outsider during the heyday of grunge, Nixon busied himself forming a band called Toadliquors, using them as a backing band for “Prairie Home Invasion,” his 1994 collaborative effort with former Dead Kennedy singer Jello Biafra, and then taking them on the road in support of their 1995 album “Whereabouts Unknown.”
Nixon began pursuing creative projects outside of music during the 1990s. He's already testing the cinematic waters with a supporting role in Jim McBride's 1989 Jerry Lee Lewis biopic, “Great Balls of Fire!” He cut a memorable figure in forgettable films, including “Super Mario Bros.” from 1993. and “Car 54, Where are you?” from 1994. He found strange roles lurking on the margins of pop culture. He tried his hand at writing advice columns, voiced video games, and was named unofficial captain of the US men's bobsled doubles team at the 1998 Winter Olympics; the honor prompted him to record a theme song called “Luge Team US” as Arctic Evil Knievels with team member Gordy Sheer on drums. He soon traded movies for radio, working as a DJ in Cincinnati and San Diego, and eventually settling at SiriusXM, where at one point he hosted three separate shows.
Nixon returned to music in the 2000s and released “Whiskey Rebellion” in 2009. From then on, he balanced his DJ work with the occasional gig. A career-spanning box set of his, “The Mojo Manifesto,” arrived in 2020, timed to coincide with the release of the full-length documentary “The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon,” but COVID-19 delayed its release. south by southwest. premiere in 2022; the following year, it received a wide release.
Mojo Nixon is survived by his wife, Adaire, and two sons, Ruben and Rafe, as well as a granddaughter.
