Cambridgeport Saloon

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Best place to sing Eminem songs with a skinhead

First things first: the Cambridgeport Saloon is no den of bigotry; it's not even a very rowdy place. There are just as many MIT students and townie sports fans hanging at the bar as there are skinheads. But thank God the latter have taken over the jukebox, which cranks out a collection of '77-vintage UK punk and early American hardcore as extensive as you're likely to find in any bar. Lately, 'Port patrons have used their quarters to vote a couple of surprising new pop icons into the working-class canon: Motor City madmen Eminem and Kid Rock. As weird as it is to hear Eminem's "The Way I Am" after a long stretch of Black Flag and the Pogues, it starts to seem strangely fitting if you hang around long enough: once you forget about the infamous white rapper's mainstream sales figures, his raps start to sound as angry and uncompromising as the toughest punk numbers. As for Kid Rock -- well, he's basically a classic rocker, and anyone who's ever clocked in at a warehouse, factory, or construction site knows there's no better music to work to than classic rock.
Cambridgeport Saloon, Mass Ave (between Central Square and MIT), Cambridge. (No phone.)

Cambridgeport Saloon
300 Massachusetts Avenue , Cambridge MA
When Jim Morrison wrote "People Are Strange," he might well have had this downbeat Cambridge dive in mind. Where else within five miles could you find drunks, punks, Massholes, and skinheads, all coexisting in a safe haven for extreme lifestyles? Even without its legendary roster of dubious incidents - the past shooting, the drug arrests, the liquor-license suspension - most nights, this place is still just plain fun. Pay $1.75 for a Pabst, and a ticket to the circus is gratis.

Beating Outside Saloon Prompts Order for Guard
By Douglas E. Heimburger
Staff Reporter

The Cambridge License Commission has voted to require the Cambridgeport Saloon to hire a security guard on weekend evenings to patrol the sidewalk outside the bar.
The saloon, which is located next to Random Hall on Massachusetts Avenue, prompted concern after the October beating of Jonathan R. Blandford '98 by several men who had just left the bar.
The men beat him before fleeing. Blandford suffered an ear infection and bruises to the back and face as a result of the incident.
The commission, in a 3­0 vote released this week, decided to require the saloon to "have a security guard, detail officer, or security doorman outside on the sidewalk" from 11 p.m. until closing on Friday and Saturday nights.
The commission also required the saloon to provide a "contact person" to Random Hall so that residents of Random can call the establishment with their concerns at any time.
In a letter addressed to Tuesday Afternoon, Inc., which owns the saloon, the commission said, "No student nor person should be fearful of walking by your premises for fear of being attacked."
Commission Chairman Benjamin C. Barnes continued by reminding the owners of the saloon that they are responsible for their patrons as they leave the premises.
Random Hall tutors testify Brian T. Lantz G, a tutor at Random Hall, complained to the commission that patrons of the saloon have been urinating in bushes around closing time and harassing students as they passed by."It would be nice if they could put people outside" the saloon, Lantz said.
Lantz said that the lawyer for the saloon was very upset about the incident. "They didn't attempt to deny the incident. They felt really bad that it had happened and hoped that there was some reasonable way to solve the problem," he said.
The manager of the facility was not pleased with having to place a security guard outside the saloon on weekends, Lantz said. "They seemed eager to deal with our concerns, but they didn't seem eager to put a person outside the bar," he said.
Random Hall Housemaster Nina J. Davis-Millis said that she was pleased with the outcome of the commission."I'm really delighted because it has been a problem for such a long time. Having some responsible party out there will make a big difference," she said.
"I hope it will resolve the problem with students being bothered from the bar," Lantz said.
Blandford said that he believes the commission was sympathetic to him. "I think they're lucky to get off with what they got off with it since the licensing commission was so sympathetic to me," he said.
The presence of security guards will help the area outside Random Hall, Blandford said. Still, "they're not the only problem in this area. This whole neighborhood is not very friendly," he said.
The saloon has five days from its receipt of the letter to appeal the decision.
Saloon cleared in separate case At its hearing last week, the commission also investigated a complaint made about a fight that occurred outside the saloon in late October.
John Worrel, a doorman of the saloon, was accompanying an individual from Watertown out of the establishment when he was punched. Worrel stated at the hearing that he had never been involved in a fight during the 14 years he worked there.
The Commission voted 3­0 against taking action since a member of the saloon was involved in the incident.
Marilyn B. Vogel contributed to the reporting of this article.

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Copyright 1996,95, The Tech. All rights reserved.
This story was published on December 6, 1996.
Volume 116, Number 64.
The story began on page 1 and jumped to page 15.
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