Comments on: Spencer Gates

By: Tami Heide

Tami Heide — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:14:21 +0000

Hello Bostonians and other friends of Spencer!
I was vacationing on Cape Cod when I got the news about Spencer. Carmelita came to the house we were renting in Chatham and she and I caught up on old Boston radio days.
Many of you mentioned Spencer’s smile and laugh, I will never forget those or her wry, dry wit, and specacular eye rolls at the ridiculousness of any situation.
She will be missed greatly…
Tami Heide

By: carey adams

carey adams — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:43:35 +0000

Spencer and I were unlikely roommates in Brighton post Mystery Girls in the late eighties. I happen to be from Buffalo too but didn’t know her there. We met at a (really lame) job we both had at Harvard Extension. She moved in with me, my new husband and her beloved but crazy cat, Phil. When I think of Spencer I think of music, Phil, that throaty laugh, her generosity, her bazillion friends and her roots.

By: Andrea Goldman

Andrea Goldman — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:01:00 +0000

I am devastated by the news about Spencer. She is in every memory of my years at matador.

Spencer was such an amazing person and it is so sad to know that she’s no longer with us. My heart goes out to her family and friends.

By: Jon B

Jon B — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:04:56 +0000

At the memorial service, Joyce Linehan read a lovely remembrance by Michael Patrick McDonald (who couldn't be there in person). It's just been posted here.

By: dan seward

dan seward — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:35:11 +0000

when we had our greased whiz through the system in th mid 90s..spencer treated us like professionals who needed answers promptly and uncolored by caffeine or candy..she made us feel like we were working w a real record company,,and that scared us..and then we went to th matador xmas parties and beads were strung betwixt decolletage and the rest is history..i had so much fun talking to spencer when she moved up to rhinebeck and looked longingly at my gin and tonic and sipped on her sweet tea telling stories of bitches,pricks and junkies..i spent that time learning th inside of an animal is not as pretty as th outside..and to be happy that there was a sober driver a great cook and superb storyteller at th wheel..i love u and miss u and heres a tear for your near beer…..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxdanbunny

By: Kris Gillespie

Kris Gillespie — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:51:20 +0000

My wife and I were in attendance at the memorial service in Cambridge today. It was profoundly beautiful and sad at the same time. Just the right mix of tears and laughs, which I’m sure Lady Talkalot would have approved of.

It was really wonderful to connect some of the dots that brought us all together in her life and reminded of the little things that made her such a special person that I hope never to forget.

Rest In Peace, Spoonie.

Kris Gillespie

By: Sarah Rhyins

Sarah Rhyins — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:28:18 +0000

In 1985 I was a 19 year old kid who adored Spencer. We worked together in a toy store on Boston’s Newbury Street. She would would breeze into work with a mixtape to play on the store stereo with songs ranging from the Ramones to Dionne Warwick. She invited me to go to the Ballet one day and then sneak me into the Rat the next. She was the first person to teach me that the entire world could indeed be your oyster. She lovingly took time to include and welcome an awkward young girl into her whirlwind world. I learned a lot from her, she shared her spirit in a way that showed me that world was ready and waiting, all you have to do is step up and introduce yourself.

By: Greg Reibman

Greg Reibman — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:07:55 +0000

It was a very special afternoon. Thanks to all who put it together. For those who missed it, suffice to say, Spenser was certainly there, hooting and hollering along with the rest of us. And that\\\’s where she\\\’ll remain: with all of us.

By: Philip Kret

Philip Kret — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:10:15 +0000

all…
just came back from the “party” in honor of Annie Spencer and it was indeed all she would want it to be. all the boston music glitterati were in the house and you instantly realized Spencer’s impact on the “scene.” I had only met her a couple of times through Peter but I always marveled at her vivacious nature… you simply could not forget her.
regards…
philip kret

By: Donovan

Donovan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:28:41 +0000

I’m sitting in a hotel lobby in Chicago crying my eyes out and the people around me must think I’m losing it.

What an amazing honor it was to be graced with Spencer’s smile and that damn infectious laugh. I used to run into her probably once a month on her way to the Soho post office and could always count on a hilarious anecdote, a great musical recommendation and a quickey career counseling session in the 3 minutes we spent standing on the corner. She really could make you feel like the center of the universe.

Damn, the world is so unfair.

Donovan

By: Gerard

Gerard — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:58:53 +0000

here’s a few links to others’ memories of Spencer, the first being from Greg (above)

http://blogs.townonline.com/cambridge/?p=18061

http://www.bostongroupienews.com/

Spiral Stairs’ words – http://spiralstairsmusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/lady-talkalot-will-be-missed.html

By: Greg Reibman

Greg Reibman — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:05:23 +0000

Before Spencer hosted the “Mystery Girls” on WMBR she answered phones on my radio show there. I’ll always remember her wild whoop of a laugh, her irony and wit. I remember meeting her on her first night in Boston. Here was Peter Gates’ kid sister, and while I adored Peter, she was so different, yet always dedicated to him. What a great pair of people.

Once, when I was stuck in a going-nowhere job that I kept longer than I should because it was close to my apartment, Spencer said to me “I live across the street from Twin Donuts but you don’t see me working here.” I began working on my resume the next morning.

My best friend Cindy Bailen just reminded me that later Spenser lived in Hoboken, right over Maxwells. Different than a doughnut shop, I guess.

By: regina joskow

regina joskow — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:57:07 +0000

I first met Spencer through Wendy Harte of Ace of Hearts records, but got to know her well when she moved to NY. She was hilarious, and generous, and certainly a force with which to be reckoned. As so many folks have already said, she was a consummate music fan and a great advocate for the bands she loved. My condolences to her family and friends.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:09:29 +0000

Spencer was one of my first friends in Boston. It was always great to be around her; she had such a true love of music. We drifted apart over the years, as people do, but I have such good memories of time spent together. My thoughts and prayers go out to Spencer’s friends and family.

By: marcelle

marcelle — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:39:35 +0000

Thank you for this Gerard.

Spencer was not only a champion of her beloved Matador bands, but a great supporter for those of us in the DIY mines. For the then-little zine BUST, Spencer gave us the time of day every day.