Rock'n'Radio Blog
David’s Journey: From to Fairview Mall to Loyola College
Close to my grade 9 homeroom shot was a short opinion piece, part of the students’ literary contributions sprinkled throughout the book. The author was commenting on the controversy surrounding the installation of a replica statue of David, standing tall in all his naked glory in front of one of the anchor stores, Simpson’s, in the just-completed-now-open (August 12, 1965) Fairview Mall in Pointe-Claire. Depending where you go to research where Fairview Mall sits in the history of indoor malls in Canada, it’s either the first or the second; the Park Royal Shopping Mall (1962) in West Vancouver has to get a shoutout.
Justin Trudeau’s Holiday Reading & a Salute to Two Senior Rockers
n 2017 I had a book published called Rock ‘n’ Radio: When DJs and Rock Music Ruled the Airwaves (Vehicule Press), my tribute to the halcyon days of Top 40 rock radio in Montreal. The book also chronicles the early days of FM radio in Montreal, specifically CKGM-FM, later re-branded as CHOM-FM in 1971, which after 52 years is still a force on the Montreal radio-scape. One of the station’s most recognizable personalities is former morning man Terry Di Monte who began his first stint at CHOM in 1984 and “retired” in May, 2021. Di Monte connected with a ton of people during his radio career – and one of those people was a young pre-MP, pre-PM Justin Trudeau. Di Monte and Trudeau have some history that goes back to Trudeau’s adolescence
Rock on the Road Again: Bubbles, Plan B, Spotify and the Monkees
After the World Health Organization declared covid-19 a worldwide pandemic on March 11, 2020, the entertainment business was effectively shut down. Concerts, live theatre, museums and cinemas were among many of the estimated 12 million people associated and employed with all aspects of the performing arts, now suddenly cut adrift. With estimated revenues of $1 trillion annually, the business shifted online. Some were able to adapt and wait. Others simply had to change course. And find completely different sources of income.
Keeping the Stones Rolling: The Charlie Watts Factor
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was hardly an out-front presence of the group. And he liked it that way. Of all the group members, Watts was the only one who the audience was least physically familiar with. Playing with a seemingly constant impish grin or alternatively a tight-lipped look of determination and concentration, he looked as if he’d easily play an elderly Gimli in a Lord of the Rings film.
Like Young Host Jim McKenna Thinking on his Feet
By Ian Howarth, August 2019Soothing Sammi's Psyche It's a post-major snow storm Saturday afternoon in Montreal and the host of the popular CFCF-TV teen dance show Jim McKenna is in the dressing room trying to put out a fire. It's a miracle the production crew,...
Rock’n’Radio The Early Years of Radio
Welcome to the Rock 'n' Radio Serialized Digital Edition. Ian Howarth publishes a new chapter of out takes from his book Rock 'n' Radio ~ When Rock Music and DJ's Ruled the Airwaves. Introduction.. Like the making of a film, where a lot of footage winds up on the...
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