When Mojo and Skid weren’t singing about their hero, they were releasing songs about other musicians and other folks in the music field that you prolly wouldn’t consider tributes: his 1995 album, WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN, features a cover of The Smiths’ 1987 song, “Girlfriend In A Coma,” where Mojo actually makes fun of Morrissey in the song 1989’s “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child” (featuring Winona Ryder in the video) “Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin” (about MTV’s Martha Quinn) and, “Don Henley Must Die” from Mojo’s solo 1990 album, OTIS. Their 1985 debut album, MOJO NIXON AND SKID ROPER, featured the original version of the Alt-Rock gem, “Jesus At McDonald’s.”Ī couple years later, in 1987, on their fourth album together, they released BO-DAY-SHUS!!!, which featured what has prolly become their best-known song, “Elvis Is Everywhere” (their own personal tribute to The King). They specialized in Psychobilly music, which is a marriage-of-sorts of Punk, Rock, Rockabilly and R&B. North Carolina-born Mojo Nixon (real name Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr.) got his start in the first half of the 80s collaborating with his future music partner-in-crime, Skid Roper (real name Richard Banke).

The Australian single cover for “Elvis Is Everywhere.” The song is basically using the melody of the traditional seasonal hymn, “Joy To The World,” with Skid Roper on a wailin’ harmonica (think in the tone of the music from old horror – or vampire? – movies), and you have Mojo Nixon on the bongos, which are somewhere in the back of the song, but you can still make them out. “Transylvanian Xmas” is from the duo’s second release, an EP (or mini-album, as some were called back then), titled GET OUT OF MY WAY! The 7-track EP also featured such gems as “Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin” (with MTV’s Martha Quinn as the, um, subject matter), “Burn Down The Malls,” and a reworked version of their 1985 classic, “Jesus At McDonald’s.” (GET OUT OF MY WAY! was included on the CD version of their other 1986 release, the full-length effort, FRENZY). The song for Day 4 of the 31 DAYS OF 80s XMAS SONGS is sort of a cheat, because I’ve had a long day and I’m tired, and this song clocks in at only 37 seconds – but it’s a fun one: “Transylvanian Xmas” by Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper.

Happy Holidays! Since it’s the first year of my blog, and since it’s the last year for my Annual Holiday Show on my little 20-year-old 80s radio program, STUCK IN THE 80s (on WMPG community radio in Portland, Maine), I wanted to present to you THE 31 DAYS OF 80s XMAS SONGS, or, 31 of my favorite 80s holiday musical treats.

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