Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

They actually used to say that Davis Square was like the Paris of the 90s. Of course, I had to add my wise guy two cents. I hung around Davis Square religiously in the 90s and said this about myself and my cohorts, “If Davis Square is the Paris of the 90’s, we must be the Paris-sites.”

Someone once wrote in a 1990s parody song, “Let’s go down to Davis Square, see the girls with great big hair.” It continued …“Starbucks is where yuppies meet, thank God for Dunkies down the street.” I know that tune because I wrote it from a suggestion by legendary Boston Hall of Fame Disc Jockey Dale Dorman while I was on the air at Kiss 108 FM. It actually was peppered into the Kiss rotation for a while. Friends used to pull into my driveway and blast it when it came on the air, sometimes very late at night. Dad didn’t appreciate it at all.

Somerville girls were famous for having big hair. Big hair that did not move if the wind blew or if they shook their heads. The hairspray they used was like an epoxy. It froze the hairdo solid. I loved the girls with great big hair. There has always been a silly controversy over which city’s girls actually had the biggest hair, Somerville or Medford. Actually, a lot of us still jokingly call it “Meffa.” As far as I am concerned, it was a toss-up, or should I say, a poof up. If you had stock in Aqua-Net hairspray in the late 80s and 90s, you were rich! I have to be honest, I still like girls with great big hair. So what if you stick your hand in and you can’t get it out? In the late 80s and early 90s, my hair, along with some of my musician friends, was pretty big too. One of my nicknames was “Head O’Hair.” Ah, the 90s.

If you walked through Davis Square in the 90s you might see a guy with a huge boom box on his shoulder grooving to Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot, Mmm Bop by Hanson, or Vogue by Madonna. Being a rocker, I was listening to REM, Smashing Pumpkins, or Clapton’s latest hit. Cars driving through Davis Square no doubt blasted MC Hammer’s Can’t Touch This. I’m not sure because I was at Barnaby’s (formerly The Coronet and later Redbones) holding court with the regulars. The 90s saw a cast of characters in that joint with names like The Skipper, Bobby Polaroid, Peter Pizza, Chuckie, Harry the Hat, Uncle Paul, Magic, Bobby Doughnuts, Johnny M, and Big Bill. I remember when all those fancy microbrews started being popular, and we got to try them out first. That was a long time ago, and it has been a very long time since I enjoyed an upstart brew and a pickled egg. We would never have stood for anything with the word slum in it. It still rubs a lot of us the wrong way.

Davis Square was my sanctuary. My band, The Sleddogs, played downstairs when Redbones was Barnaby’s. I left the T-tops in the back seat, and one day someone stole them. That’s what I got for working on my bar tan and not paying attention. Luckily, it was just a phase that we went through. But man, do I have some good stories and awesome memories.

There were a lot of Members’ Only members back then. Acid wash, cargo, and Capri pants, and aviator glasses were big as well as the aforementioned big hairdos. Today, you may see a dude with a barrette in his hair. Guys and gals sport pierced lips, nose, and lip rings, and many colorful tattoos. Don’t be surprised to see men wearing kilts. It’s all about expression, and it’s always been good in the ‘Ville. Trendy folks may have purple, pink, or green hair. Boom boxes were replaced by a variety of personal devices, which require headphones that seem to be glued to people’s ears. They hold onto them like they were a small child.

In 1990 a gallon of gas cost $1.34, and cigarettes were $1.23 a pack. The price of butts alone is a great incentive to quit smoking. Too bad we can’t quit driving since it has become so stressful and expensive. Sorry, I am very environmentally aware, but I will never drive a small gas-efficient matchbox just to save money and gas. I need my tank, thanks. I recycle, but I am too afraid of nut drivers to cycle more than just for recreation.

So, if Davis Square was the Paris of the 90s, what slogan can we give it today? How about “Davis Square, still cool after all these years”?

If you are a Somerville lifer or a newcomer you will always find something to like about Davis Square, even if it’s just the great memories of the old days. Somerville has always been a trendy Mecca. By the way, the last verse of that Somerville song I wrote says, “I’m glad to say I live in Somerville … never gonna move from Somerville!”