Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper ＂(619) 239-KING＂ ‌‌ — Bohemia Afterdark

JUL 01 1989 · 12:00

Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper ＂(619) 239-KING＂ ‌‌ — Bohemia Afterdark (1989) Director: Bill Fishman Era: Late MTV Era / Alternative Insurgency (1989) - Peak of college-radio cowpunk crossover; pre-grunge underground humor challenging mainstream pop culture via music video as satire vehicle High curatorial value as a document of the Mojo Nixon / Skid Roper partnership at its final, most commercially visible moment. Captures a specific, largely underdocumented milieu — the cowpunk / college-radio underground of San Diego and its broader national network — with confirmed cameo participation from multiple peer acts. Directed by Bill Fishman, a figure whose work straddles independent film and music video history. The interactive, real-world phone number premise makes this an early example of audience-participatory media design in the music video format. Context: Released in 1989 on Enigma Records as part of the Root Hog or Die album cycle, this video arrived at the apex of Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper's partnership — the duo split later that same year. The song extended Nixon's ongoing Elvis mythology begun with 'Elvis Is Everywhere' (1987), responding to then-active tabloid rumors that Presley had faked his death. The phone number in the title was a real San Diego line where callers could leave Elvis-sighting reports. The video's theatrical chaos, featuring cameos from peer acts documented by Wikipedia's Root Hog or Die article, exemplifies the collegial underground network of late-80s American cowpunk and college radio — a community that included the Beat Farmers, Dead Milkmen, and Kris Kristofferson. Nixon had a complicated, productive relationship with MTV during this era: the channel embraced his 'Elvis Is Everywhere' video and even gave him on-air hosting duties in 1988, yet later banned the companion 'Debbie Gibson' video. Director notes: Directed the (619) 239-KING music video in 1989, released as a B-side companion piece to 'Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child' from the album Root Hog or Die (Enigma Records, 1989). Per Wikipedia's Root Hog or Die article, the video includes guest appearances from the Beat Farmers, Dead Milkmen, and Kris Kristofferson. IMDb lists the video's runtime at 4 minutes and aspect ratio as 1.33:1 (4:3). The video was featured in Camp Midnite: Show 116 (1989) per IMDb. The song itself, per Wikipedia, was a follow-up to 'Elvis Is Everywhere' in which Nixon invited Elvis Presley to call a real, active San Diego telephone number to confirm his aliveness.