2 Guys Named Chris Minus One

 

Yesterday brought news of a significant change to the radio landscape of Greensboro and the surrounding environs.

Chris Demm announced his retirement and his departure from Rock 92 and the 2 Guys Named Chris Show.

Chris Demm and Chris Kelly launched the show in April 1999.

It is the nature of radio to not know when your last day on the air will be. Most DJs put in their shift, get a call to meet the program director and shown the door on the same day.

Demm counts himself lucky to know when his last day will be, the end of March.

While a lot of people posted online their concerns that  Demm's retirement may not necessarily be his idea, my opinion from listening to his statement that this does seem to be on his own terms. 

Demm said, "I've known about this decision for a while, and, you know, rationally, it makes sense,  but when you add emotion into it, and you're saying goodbye to people who were such a part of your life every single day, 27 years, Chris Kelly and I worked side by side before sunrise."

Chris Demm with his dry and snarky wit was the perfect counterpoint to Chris Kelly's continually flummoxed goofball. 

Demm could do characters like his take on newsman Tom Brokaw or Junior from the Pump 'N' Munch in Montgomery County in North By God Carolina.  Junior hasn't called in for a few years now. Maybe Demm can coax him to make a quick check in.  

Demm was the star of the daily music trivia game Rock 'N' Roll Put Up Or Shut Up when listeners pitted themselves against Demm's encyclopediac knowledge of rock music, trivia and legends. At stake was whatever money Demm had in his wallet. He very rarely had to pay  up.  

For 27 years, Chris Demm and Chris Kelly teamed up to have a conversation for 4 hours a morning about whatever damn thing popped in their heads and almost always made it entertaining.

Chris Demm described his time on the show as "the best 4 hours of the day. I will miss, you know, having an outlet for anything that pops into your head. It's unbelievably gratifying, and to have people respond to it is, it makes it even better."  

The best of luck to Chris Demm for his pending retirement in 2 months. God knows how we're going to keep that knucklehead Chris Kelly in line without you