Notes and Commentary to Jock’s Life of Mo

Book excerpt: Life of Mo is a musical satire based on the life of the Prophet Mohammed. These explanatory notes, which include the full text of Life of Mo, attempt to determine the sources of the play's material, and offer further explanatory notes regarding the themes and ideas raised in the play. Superficially, Life of Mo is a musical fantasy romp, combining stories with re-writes of songs by popular artists like Dolly Parton, Freddy Mercury, Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman and others. But Life of Mo has a deeper grounding, and its sources include original texts (the Qur'an, ahadith, and Bible), and commentaries by writers like William Muir, Robert Spencer, Ali Dashti and Ali Sina. In addition, the writer has also used Internet sources, like Wikipedia, YouTube and Reddit. CF Hibbot's Notes and Commentary to Jock's Life of Mo traces through the humour and the tragedy to render a deeper appreciation and understanding of the play and the subject matter covered.