Mojo Nixon
Whereabouts Unknown (Ripe & Ready)
by Marc Hirsh
Mojo Nixon
Whereabouts Unknown (Ripe & Ready)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in the Public News, July 5, 1995
Pity poor Mojo. It must be hard, him being down on his luck without his muse. He's lost his knack for comedy. Most of his jokes fall flat. Hell, some, like "Don't Ask Me Why I Drink," and "My T.V. is Watchin' Me," don't even have punchlines.
But the real problem is that it's just not funny. If Mojo hates Morrissey, why then does he cover "Girlfriend In A Coma"? Railing against the guy inside one of his own songs isn't particularly amusing. And Morrissey, as the songwriter, will be paid more for the song than Mojo, the measly performer. The old Mojo would've written his own Morrissey rip.
He also knew when not to write his own songs. Listen to "This Land Is Your Land" from Root Hog Or Die. Notice how Mojo makes it his own and pulls off a successful advertisement for the Mojo way of life. Then come back to Whereabouts and play the new, self-written anthem, "You Can't Kill Me." Marvel at the difference. Wonder why Mojo, here and elsewhere, continues to refer to his own, apparently icky, backside. And weep for the loss of what once was.
Few rays of hope claw out from under the dreck. "Gotta Be Free" supplies some smiles, as does the everybody's-fucking-something stomp of "Tie My Pecker To My Leg," but that's about it. And the closer, "If I Can Dream," is oddly moving, almost explaining away the lack of successful humor in a straight song.
Which brings me to the band, a very good country/blues/rock band playing the shit out of nonexistent tunes. When the best thing about a Mojo Nixon album is the music, you've got trouble.