The World According to Gillespie

LIFE’S THE SAME I’M MOVING IN STEREO The thing that I most regret losing in my recent divorce is something that never actually became part of our marriage. In the transition of selling one home and relocating to another, I was forced to basically empty the contents of my house so I could somehow stuff myself into my wife’s house. In this hurried process, I took all of my old stereo components that had been boxed up and stored in the attic and dropped them off at a second-hand store. They were heavy, cumbersome, appeared to have little value, and were basically obsolete.   The items that I dropped off included a beautiful Marantz analog receiver that I bought used at Audio Replay in Harvard Square in 1998 for roughly $100.   It was somewhat of a dinosaur even then. Living in the North End of Boston at the time, this receiver along with a cassette deck and a 5-disc CD player (vinyl had yet to make a comeback) became my source of pre-digital music. This system sounded gr...

BROCKTON ACCORDING TO GILLESPIE This column originally appeared on Wicked Local                                           I decided to make a trip through Brockton after roughly thirty years away. Brockton is a city that, despite its questionable reputation in recent years, is one that I remember as being vibrant and lively when I was a kid. But the Brockton I found was sadly void of the energy that I remembered. Gone are the landmarks that once characterized Brockton East: Christo’s, the Brockton East Twin Cinema, Bradlees, Burger King, Friendly’s, Red Lobster, and even the old Jack-in-the-Box. They have been replaced by a handful of less than notable stores, a Home Depot, and an annex to Massasoit Community College.   The energetic vibe that once reverberated the downtown area of Brockton is also gone.   Main Street was once highlighted by thriving long-las...