Brownstein: Terry DiMonte, Monsieur Montréal, signs off … for now

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Terry DiMonte has just returned from a check-up with his cardiologist and can now safely announce: he has a heart.

A mighty one at that, which will come as no surprise to the legion of fans who have been listening to him over the last 37 years. With his contract expiring, May 28 will be his last day as CHOM morning man, and many of his followers are already in shiva mode.

That’s no accident. The music — mostly classic rock — helps, but that’s not the ticket. Any DJ can spin tunes. It’s the reassuring patter that matters most, be it in conversation with regulars like Lesley Chesterman and Pierre Houde or his listeners. DiMonte has become an icon on the airwaves because he is one of the most menschy media people around.

Like his mentor, the late great George Balcan, DiMonte is down-to-earth, genial, funny and informed. He is also highly opinionated and passionate, because as a born-and-bred Montrealer, he truly loves his city — traffic congestion and unabated road and condo construction notwithstanding.

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Of course, the latter can be a cause of elevated blood pressure and heart arrhythmia for many citizens.

The good news is that DiMonte got a clean bill of health from the cardiologist, but also some invaluable counsel.

“As a CHOM listener, he said he was sorry to see me go, that he was going to miss me: ‘As your doctor, though, I offer you congratulations for adding years to your life starting in June’,” says a cheery DiMonte, while soaking up the sun at a city park.

The cardiologist wasn’t just cracking wise.

“Sleep deprivation, which has been my life for nearly 40 years in radio, contributes to all kinds of health issues,” DiMonte says. “I’m 63 now. I’ve got a collection of hospital cards in my wallet. Since I started doing the CHOM morning show on Greene Ave. in 1984, I have not had a decent night’s sleep.”

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DiMonte has made several pit-stops along the way — Mix 96, CJAD, CHOM again, Calgary’s Q107 and back to CHOM once more — but mornings have always been the constant.

“All the people who are part of the morning radio club will tell you the same thing. For me, I sleep in 60- or 90-minute chunks, and never more than four or sometimes five hours. I’m not complaining, because I’ve had a wonderful, wonderful life and a terrific job that I’ve loved and had a ball doing, but this 3:30 a.m. business really sucks.”

While talking about some of the great morning folk who have died too young, an elderly gentleman, who could easily be mistaken for the late Ted Blackman, saunters by the park bench where we’re sitting. Hello!

“Oh my God, are we seeing a ghost? That’s just too freaky,” a spooked DiMonte says.

DiMonte is not about to break into a rendition of the Sinatra classic My Way just yet: “And now the end is near … So I face the final curtain …”

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All my way of saying that DiMonte may never do morning radio again, but — excellent bet — this won’t be the last Montrealers will hear from him. Don’t count on DiMonte to be simply lounging on some garden hammock and sipping martinis in retirement mode. Okay, maybe just the martinis.

“But come May 29, I am going to disappear for a spell. I’m going to sleep and do absolutely nothing. As I said on the morning when I announced that I was leaving, I’m not old, I don’t feel old, but I want to get old.”

Which does not preclude DiMonte from taking on a range of non-early-morning activities. Like podcasts, solo or accompanied by some griping buddies. Or maybe even TV, or more radio. The media universe is ever expanding, and the possibilities are endless.

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“There are podcast issues that I think Montreal listeners would still be interested in hearing. I would love to be relevant. I just want to do something that doesn’t involve getting up in the middle of the night.”

Given his druthers, DiMonte would have preferred to stay on at CHOM until the end of summer to put together a — hopefully — post-pandemic bash for his listeners, colleagues and friends. But such was not to be.

“So it goes. I’ve come to embrace the situation now. I feel so fortunate to have worked and lived in a very special era in Montreal, filled with characters. The Balcans, Blackmans, Nick Auf der Maurs, Moshers. What a time!”

Nor can it be forgotten that DiMonte has resonated with both anglos and francos. Surveys indicate that more than 40 per cent of his CHOM listeners have been francophones.

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“I’ve been getting so many letters from francophone listeners who’ve said they’ve been listening to me for years, pointing out that CHOM and I have helped them learn English.

“Tout le monde en parle’s Guy A. Lepage recorded a message wishing me well. Paul Arcand, a giant on the radio scene and one of the most listened-to morning men in the country, paid tribute to me on his show. La Presse did a salute. And even Mayor Valérie Plante wished me good luck. That is such a source of pride to me, that I’ve been able to bridge the language divide and that francophones felt welcome when they listened to me. And I was never more excited to have La Presse, years ago, refer to me as Monsieur Montréal.”

It will be no small task for CHOM to find a replacement who can command that kind of respect, who knows the city and its inhabitants as well.

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The Montreal anglo radio market is distinct. Anglo Montreal is not Mississauga or Moose Jaw. You just can’t take someone from the those communities, plunk them down here and have them let loose with generic babble.

“This is a special place. I have seen, over the years, many a talented broadcaster come here from Toronto or other cities and try to adopt the city but had a really difficult time doing it.

“As a kid who grew up in Montreal, it was a lot easier understanding what made the city tick. I was fortunate to follow George Balcan with his blessing, help and mentorship. George passed the baton to me and told his audience: ‘This young man is the future and I’m leaving you in good hands.’ I’ll be forever grateful for that, because when they first came to me with that proposal, I said: ‘Are you nuts? Follow George Balcan?’ That still remains one of the most memorable parts of my career.”

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Making the transition into his new life considerably easier is having a partner. Just prior to everything shutting down because of the pandemic in March 2020, DiMonte was married to CHOM promotions manager Jessica Dionne.

“It was just as all hell was breaking loose. We got married at a fishing lodge in Agassiz, B.C. I was so lucky. I was one of those guys who believed I was so dedicated to my work and had to focus only on work for years and years.

“As I got older, I became a little more rounded, and then Jess came along and changed my life. She’s my knight in shining armour. I couldn’t be happier. This makes moving on so much easier.”

DiMonte has been inundated with mail from listeners telling him how much his presence has meant to them. One grateful fan even contacted the mayor to inquire about naming a street for him — one not undergoing construction.

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“But the fellow was told that I had to be dead for a year for a street naming,” DiMonte laughs. “I sent him a note back, saying: ‘Nice thought. Thanks. But I’ll pass’.”

bbrownstein@postmedia.com

twitter.com/billbrownstein

Terry Dimonte’s top 3 CHOM memories

“My first week, November 1984. I spent the whole time and the next few months going: ‘Oh my God, oh my God, I’m doing mornings on CHOM’.”

Former boss “Martin Spalding flew to Calgary to have dinner with me, and I was trying to figure out what he was doing there and why he was having dinner with me. He said; ‘We’ve struggled a little bit since you left (CHOM), and we want you to come home.’ I was floored, gobsmacked. And I came back, and never regretted it for a second.”

“Becoming friends with artists like Chris de Burgh and Roger Hodgson, whose records I bought before my radio days and whose shows I had attended in the cheap seats. But the one that really puts a lump in my throat is Serge Fiori, because when I was in Calgary and homesick, I would put a Harmonium album on and it would transport me back to Montreal. … I can pick up the phone now and talk to Serge Fiori … as a Montreal kid, I can’t believe that.”