Murph the Surf and other Somerville nicknames
*

No one’s name was safe from the teasing kids unleashed on each other back in the day – everyone’s first or last name became a source of adolescent  taunting.
They called me Jimmy the Pimmy. I still don’t know what a pimmy was but it  sure used to tick me off. Then there was  my family’s name. The teasing came pretty easily.  It  was “Del Monte Beans”, or “Del Ponte Fruit.”
One of my particularly cruel nicknames  was “Jimmy the mini- (insert  rhyming derogatory slur for Italians).”  With the  last name of Wood , “woodpecker” seemed appropriate. My pal Scott Leake…well, need I say more? They also called him “sneaky Leaky.
Some nicknames were okay. Knowlton Brown, who worked at the YMCA for years was  known  affectionately as “Brownie.” Jane was “Jungle Jane” and “Jane Jetson.” My dear friends the Baldassari’s had their nickname built right into their name (you figure it out). Phyllis was “Philadelphia Cream Cheese” and “Phyllis Diller.” Chris, Michelle and Andrew heard…”Maoili ravioli!”  Teddy Bates had a few good nicknames as did Mike Bonanno.
Everyone named Sullivan, Fitzgerald and O’Brien became “Sully” “Fitzie” and “O’B.” Those were automatic nicknames. Murphy’s were “Murph”, “Murph the Surf” and even, ”Murph the Smurf.”
We  sometimes assigned names for how we thought people looked also. I remember my dad went to school with a guy named “Stretch.”  There was a very fair and decent  police officer that we dubbed “ Barney Fife.” Of course none ever said it to his face!
My friend Tony was known as “Ton.” And to this day, I don’t know why our friend Steve became known as “Harry.”  I was talking to my friend Charlie, who we now call “Chucky,” and he never knew that Harry’s real name was Steve.  I bet a lot of you  Somerville readers know  “Joe the Toe.” All I remember is that he lost a toe somehow, a long time ago, and thus, his nickname was created.
That reminds me of the mean names my brother and sister used to call me. Because one of my ears folds over on the top, they called me Dumbo. They got punished when they called me that. My aunt Marie was known as “Wee  Wee”  because someone somewhere couldn’t pronounce Marie.
I have a friend who we have been calling “Bones” for years and it’s not for the reason you think. When he was only 4 years old, he got hit in the head five times in one hockey game playing goalie.  His brother later noted  that after a haircut his head looked like a bone.
A couple of our friends’ nicknames were “Bolo”, “Ment” and “Bone Rack.”  Don’t forget Moose Mason.
Sister Margerlaine  became Sister Margerine. Teachers had a lot of cruel  nicknames. My friend Pat (by the way   happy birthday) was Patrick Joseph, so he was known as PJ. He actually had a band called the PJ Five. There was DJ Sullivan too. I think everyone has a friend named DJ. I had two friends named Richy Collins. One  became known as “The other Richy Collins.”
Nicknames could be cruel when we were kids, but today,  we can laugh about them.
I have a friend, that to this day still calls me “Del Panty.”

*
***

*
You can hire Jimmy for all your music, DJ, and party needs! Weddings, retirement parties, anniversaries, divorces, and hosting for any event. Jimmy will entertain alone or with a band (The Sleddogs!). and remember, when you hire Jimmy…… Johnny C, Larry The Caterer, Concetta, and Blanche come along at no extra charge! By the hour! Call 617-623-0554 for details.

*
____________________________________
You can email Jimmy directly at jimmydel@rcn.com.

When the Green Line extension finally rolls through Somerville in five years, it will be justice for a community overlooked and abused by transit decisions for more than 50 years.
But there will be pain too. Housing costs in once affordable neighborhoods will skyrocket and thousands of Somerville families will likely be displaced by rising rents.
Just as troubling, businesses that have been a mainstay in Ball Square and the Inner Belt will be demolished and taken by the state in eminent domain proceedings.
Bob Rosselli has worked at Ball Square auto repair for 40 years. To make way for a Green Line stop in the neighborhood his business will be sacrificed. In the Inner Belt, a maintenance facility will displace MS Walker liquor distillery, an 80-year-old business with 300 employees.
A city is partly a collection of its memories – Somerville residents are likely to give directions by referring to “the old Broadway theater” or “the old Star market” depending on how long they have been here. Progress has casualties: in this case, they’re longtime businesses and employers. In the future, it will be something else.