ARTS Te Michigan Daily Monday, September 15, 1986 Page 7 U:- Trash culture at its best ,By John Logie Mojo Nixon has been trying to get a hold of me. I have been tang to get a hold of Mojo. We have spent the last few days playing telephone bingo, and so far, neither one of us has hit the jackpot. So this isn't a Mojo Nixon interview. It's me writing bout Mojo, and I don't know Mojo like Mojo knows Mojo, but I do know Mojo could probably use same publicity. He and his sidekick, Skid Roper, are head - ing into a Monday-night gig at the Blind Pig. Most folks round lbre study Monday night. If Mojo was filling this space gather than me, maybe fewer people would study. Studying is inportant. But it's also important o inject large blocks of fun in 3 etween pages 396 and 397 of whatever textbook is giving you the most grief. And fun is what Mojo and Skid are all about. They kicked off their debut LP with a song called "Jesus at McDonald's," and the first song on the duo's second album, Frenzy, is a compendium of headlines from the Weekly World News entitled "The Amazing Bigfoot Diet." - These song titles are fair warning. Mojo's world is most assuredly not the same world the iuxtable family lives in. Mojo is the bard of American trash culture. The duo dances constantly between fierce, foul-mouthed assaults on our great American institutions, and plain ol', foot- stompin', stoopid music. Occa - sionally Mojo tosses in a pretty song, like the first album's "Mama Possums." Occasionally the pair delves into the musical past and resuscitates a hoary old classic like "In-A-Gadda-Da- Vida" or Alice Cooper's "Be My Lover," but believe me, those songs will never be the same. Especially "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vi - da." If Iron Butterfly had ever envisioned their twenty minute opus receiving Skid's brilliant minute-and-a-half long treat- ment, they probably would have packed up their instruments and become accountants. Mojo is not a household name. Even "progressive" radio stations have shied away from these records. The records feature a lot of b-a-a-a-d words, blasphemy, drug references, and in general, an attitude epitomized by a sign on the cover of the first record, which reads, "Free, Drunk, and Horny--Reverend Mojo Nixon, Pigfoot, La." The fact that Mojo and Skid play guitar and washboard, respectively, doesn't help. There aren't many popular two-man jugbands. On top of all this, if Mojo and Skid, in order to gain greater exposure, made a clean, nice video, MTV probably wouldn't play it. Mojo is on record as wanting to "stuff Martha's muffin," and Ms. Quinn, as far as Mojo is concerned, will probably keep her muffin to herself. It's hard to blame her. Mojo appears to be the product of the union that was reported in the Weekly World News several years ago under the headline "I WAS RAPED BY BIGFOOT!" He makes noises that lend credence to the theory, too. But sasquatch blood has its benefits. Mojo and Skid are without question an entertaining departure from the run-of-the- mill. Pleasure seekers who are looking for something different have found it, musically, phil - isophically, and perhaps even species-wise. But this is bold stuff, a significant percentage of which is designed to offend people who have a partially functioning sense of humor. Mojo and Skid recently opened on the Pogues' tour, and managed to win over a few fans, and deeply irritate a few more. The duo's manager says their upcoming EP will be a bit more palatable radio-wise, and that might be a good place for the faint- of-heart to start liking Mojo and Skid. The rest of you should take advantage of the opportunity to see Mojo and Skid alive and in their element. Hopefully they haven't cleaned up their act. American Red Cross Blood Services Southeastern Michigan Region Look into the ldo Interested in writing about film, theater, music, books or dance? JOIN THE DAILY'S ARTS STAFF General meeting: Monday, September 15th at 7pm Student Publications Bldg., second floor THE OFFICE OF MAJOR EVENTS PRESENTS JIMMYCLIF F THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 POWER CENTER, 8 P.M. Tickets at Michigan Union Ticket Office and all Ticket World Outlets. CHARGE-BY-PHONE'-763-TKTS NOW HIRING The Popular Choice0 0Multitech PERSONAL COMPUTER Student and Faculty Discount Immediate Delivery Popular500 Plus 700 Accel 900 10 MHZ FOR MORE INFORMATION On These o M ultitech P-C-s I VISIT YOUR LOCAL DEALER TODAY AUTOMATION LINK 747-9000 628 PACKARD, SUITE 2 - MAIN CAMPUS - - '~'