Why Do People Call Worcester Wormtown?

Here we are, folks, in scenic Worcester, Massachusetts: The town that in its infinite wisdom decided that the Mass Pike passing through town really wasn't a good idea...

But bashing Worcester--as prevalent as that seems to be (both inside and outside city limits)--is not the topic of today's blog entry. Instead, we're going to examine the obscure origins of "Wormtown", one of Worcester's lesser-known nicknames.

From the research (primary and secondary) I have conducted, "Wormtown" is apparently a regional nickname associated with Worcester. Originally used to refer to the ethos of Worcester's underground musical subculture, "Wormtown" has recently become applied to the entire city itself.

Over time, city leaders and other talking heads (popular or not, known or not) in Wormtown imported the term, positioning it as a ironic slight against Worcester. I know, that doesn't quite make sense to me, either, but self-deprecating humor is a common virtue around here.

People from Worcester tell me that WCUW Disc Jockey (and newsletter writer) L.B. Worm coined the term some twenty years ago. He allegedly said, "This scene is so dead, maybe I should call it Wormtown." The term caught on, leading my sources to explain that "Wormtown" was the flag under which the region's underground music subculture rallied. And so a movement began.

The "Wormtown" movement eventually replaced the "rock-as-usual" broadcasts on local radio and in bars and clubs. Local stations WCUW and WICN (now all jazz) flourished. Nowadays, followers of The Worcester Phoenix gladly call themselves Wormtowners, as does the T&G's Scott McClennan. Vincent's, whom some believe to be Worcester's most popular club, is regarded as 100% Wormtown, having taken the title from Ralph's, the eighties most popular establishment. The success of these establishments is attributable to the Wormtown movement.

Citing the term's 'elitist' origins (using the term 'elitist' very liberally), people who have worn and now wear the "Wormtown" mantle are very proud and protective of it. They say that "Wormtown" was never meant to be another name for Worcester, that the term only describes the music scene of the late 1970s and early 80s.

They take great umbrage at the fact that politicians have expropriated the term; that the Worcester Rugby Club has adopted the nickname "Wormtown" and sports the logo of a feisty, rugby-playing worm emerging from a rugby ball; music festivals; and various commercially-oriented and self-serving websites (www.wormtown.org, www.wormtown.com, www.wormtownnightlife.com, www.thewormtownspy.com, etc.).

So there you have it, friends: Why Worcester is often referred to as "Wormtown."