Davy in the News

Crowd waits in line to see ex teen idol

By Jerry Belli

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-TIMES

DANBURY Thirty-four years have passed since he burst on the scene as the lead singer for The Monkees and became an instant teen-age heartthrob. Davy Jones still makes his fan’s hearts race wherever he goes.

Over 300 fans waited in line yesterday for a chance to meet Jones, and have their picture taken with the international idol. He was scheduled to appear at the Danbury Fair mall at noon, to sign copies of his latest book, “Daydream Believin’.”

By 10 o’clock a line was already forming and would continue to grow right up until the 2 o’clock cutoff. Fans brought memorabilia from both The Monkees and Jones’ solo career, albums, tapes, books, even a Monkees lunch box for him to sign.

As Vera DePoto of Danbury waited in line she held a postcard from The Monkees Fan Club. “Look at this,” DePoto said. “It’s postmarked 1966. It’s taken me 34 years to get it signed.”

Tami Tozzoli of Danbury was listening to 98Q when she heard that Jones would be in Danbury. “I couldn’t believe it. I never thought he would come to Connecticut.”

“He said on the radio that he is recently divorced and would like to find a nice Connecticut girl,” Tozzoli said. “I went crazy and called my girlfriend right away. I’m going to give him my number and see what happens.”

However, after she met Jones and was descending the steps, still holding the slip of paper with her phone number on it, Tozzoli said, “All right, I chickened out.”

Stephanie Mikhail of New York waited to meet Jones for the first time since 1967. She has seen him perform five times in the last year.

“I still have his autograph from when I was 13,” Mikhail said. “I’ve seen him perform all over the country and have made many lasting friendships with people I’ve met at his shows.”

“I know his shows inside out,” Mikhail said, “now I go for the people. We all met because of Davy.”

For new fans, such as 15-year-old Danbury resident, Keri Narowski, it was a chance to meet an idol she watches regularly on reruns of The Monkees.

“I was so excited to see him that I ran down here,” Narowski said. “He’s hot. He may be much older now but he’s still so cute.”

Both Keri and her brother, Eric, recently performed in a local production of “Bye, Bye, Birdie.” Jones made their day as he sang them “What’s the matter with kids today,” one of the songs from the play.

Jones is no stranger to the stage. Before his stardom with The Monkees, Jones appeared as The Artful Dodger in the smash hit West End production of “Oliver!” He later originated the role on Broadway, and at age 16, received a Tony Award nomination for the role.

After the breakup of The Monkees, Jones returned to the theater and appeared in national touring companies of “Oliver!,” reprising the role of The Artful Dodger, and later appearing as Fagin, which received rave reviews.

“My kids kept telling me that it was about time I started acting my age,” Jones said. “So I took on the role of Fagin, and so far I’ve been having a lot of fun with it.”

Fun seems to be an integral part of Jones’ life. He is not content to rest on his past achievements but constantly seeks to reinvent himself. His solo career combines new songs he has written with dialogue/standup comedy.

“People want something different,” Jones said. “I don’t just go out there and sing, I tell jokes and interact with the crowd. I especially love performing in Vegas, it’s unbelievable out there, better than Disney World.”

In addition to his music and acting career Jones is an avid equestrian and maintains his amateur jockey license. On Feb 1, 1996, Jones won his first race under rules in England. He continues to ride and train winners, and has serious aspirations of training any one of numerous racehorses for a Maryland Cup victory.

“I love racing, though I’m about 130 pounds right now, that’s a little heavy for a jockey,” Jones said.