On a winter day in Flint in the early 70’s, a disc jockey working for WWCK-FM heard a knock on the window and looked up. Peter Cavanaugh waved with an attitude and then proceeded to pee his radio station call letters, WTAC, into the snow before speeding off in his car.
This and many other scenes from Cavanaugh’s career on the radio, retold in his book ‘Local DJ, A Rock ‘N? Roll History,? may soon be hitting the big screen with ties to reknown film producer Michael Moore.
Cavanaugh worked in radio from the late 1950’s to 90’s in New York, Iowa, Ohio and Flint, Michigan. He served as one of the most influential people on the Michigan music scene ? helping promote concerts featuring the likes of Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, MC5 and Alice Cooper at Mt. Holly, Sherwood Forest in Davison and other places.
During his career, he carried Chuck Berry’s guitar case, introduced Jimi Hendrix, made fake credentials to meet the Beatles in Detroit in 1964, introduced Bill Cosby, who made fun of him on stage for 10 minutes, loved Led Zeppelin and turned up music as loud as possible whenever he could.
Starting in this edition, The Clarkston News looks at Cavanaugh’s career and how he came to Independence Township.
To order the book, look to www.wildwednesday.com.

‘Support your local radio friends?
Blue Lake Entertainment purchased the movie rights to Cavanaugh’s book ‘Local D.J., A Rock ‘N? Roll History? recently. BLE is run by Kathleen Glynn, wife of Michael Moore, director of ‘Roger & Me,? Bowling for Columbine? and ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.?
According to Cavanaugh, discussions first started with Moore and Glynn in April 2005, with a contract signed in Jan. 2006 for ‘Local DJ?’s film rights. As Cavanaugh worked on the book from April to June in 1994, he sent pieces to Moore and Glynn, who he has had ties with since Moore’s earlier Flint radio days in the 1980’s.
According to Cavanaugh, the book appealed to Moore because of his ideas about the 1960’s as a renaissance period that ushered in a degree of change that will not be completely discernible for many years.
‘He was very complimentary, as far as the book summing up not only a chronological history of rock ‘n? roll from a Michigan perspective, but you had the double action of playing the music and being influential upon the music,? said Cavanaugh.
?(Michael and Kathleen) said, ‘We really want to take ‘Local DJ? and do something with it, but we’re not sure what yet.? They were just starting work on ‘Sicko,?? said Cavanaugh.
Three options are being looked at, said Cavanaugh. The three tentative ideas include: a documentary of Michigan music during a time where many things were happening on a national level; a movie about a DJ from Syracuse, New York, being in the right place at the right time who runs into rock ‘n? roll; or a production emphasizing the radio industry discussed in the book.
‘Kathleen is looking to have a script developed by a major Hollywood writer and she doesn’t quite know who that might be yet. She sees it as sort of a combination? of ‘Almost Famous? and ‘Dazed and Confused,?? said Cavanaugh, who plans to work with the writer on the script.
‘I’m very honored to be in such esteemed company. I’ve known Michael and Kathleen through the years and I know them as friends sitting around my office at WWCK in Flint with my feet up on the desk telling jokes,? said Cavanaugh.

‘Trust yourself anytime you choose?
Ever since he can remember Cavanaugh wanted to be on the radio. He was six years old when his father, Donald, passed away. Donald worked as assistant in chief for the Veterans Administration in 1948 and was narrating a radio program called ‘News for Veterans? on July 29. Halfway through the script, he suffered a heart attack. Cavanaugh’s mother insisted he not attend the funeral and ordered the transcription of the broadcast destroyed. He stayed at home with his radio, as told in ‘Local DJ.?
‘A lot of people who see that felt again it was instrumental in me getting into radio, the fact that my dad died on the radio. I’m sure that the fact that I remember it as clearly as I did has a part, but more influential was the phenomenon itself. When I was a little boy? (radio) was the window to the world.
‘The fascination was always there. I guess in a weird way nothing was really real to me unless it was coming through the radio. So to really be real, I needed to get on the other end of that speaker. So when my dad died on the radio? the radio being there was enormous consolation because it was still there. My dad had left.?
Inronically, one of Cavanaugh’s early experiences on radio came while attending Cathedral Academy, a parochial Catholic school in Syracuse, New York.
While there, he read ‘Saint of the Week? during ‘Catholic Hour? on the air at WHEN. The priest in charge kicked Cavanaugh off the spot after he discovered the teenager also worked on a rock station.
‘They found out I was on the rock station and that was that. They had literally a cardiac arrest,? laughed Cavanaugh.
Cavanaugh’s career as a DJ, got off to a rocky start at radio station WNDR in Syracuse where he initially worked answering phones and writing weekend news. After convincing management to give him more responsibility than weekend news casts, Cavanaugh got his first shot at being a DJ in a one-hour audition late one Sunday night.
After writing down what he’d say and practicing lines and watching DJ’s for hours, he felt prepared. As he reached to open the microphone channel he hit the ‘master-off? switch that sent the radio station into 20 minutes of silence.
‘I wished I was dead. Even today thinking about it my stomach churns,? said Cavanaugh. ‘It was midnight on a Sunday, meaning Monday morning. If it had to happen it’s the best time because nobody’s listening then. But to me the entire universe was plugged in.?
By his senior year in high school, Cavanaugh was pulling ‘jock shifts? on weekends from 7 p.m. to midnight. As stated on the cover of his book, by the age of 16, Peter Cavanaugh had a 58 percent total audience share on WNDR in Syracuse, more than any other station combined.
While attending LeMoyne College, he worked a morning and afternoon slot and became involved in the ‘Sock Hop? business playing records at schools throughout central New York. He even started adding live bands to his presentations, renting out gyms and staging ‘Peter C. Rock ‘n Roll Presentations.?
Soon that talent, charisma and passion for music would land in Michigan.

A silver lining for Flint on the darkest day
Cavanaugh’s 1963 arrival in Flint was in part facilitated by one of the era’s most famous and painful memories ? the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Being Irish and Catholic, Cavanaugh related to the president in many ways and was shocked by the assassination.
‘I think due to the fact I lost my dad early on very young, I had really experienced enormous grief and that was sort of triggered again. I really? felt (Kennedy) was a father figure and had been taken away in the prime of his life (like my father),? said Cavanaugh.
While admitting he did not make that realization at the time, he understands now the deep of an impact the president’s death had on him.
To mark the significance of Kennedy’s assassination, Cavanaugh and his associates at the radio station in New York played somber classical music straight for four days from just the time Kennedy was killed to after his funeral. The music was sometimes interrupted by the latest news briefs, recalled Cavanaugh.
That night, Cavanaugh had a gig scheduled but could not bring himself to hold the event.
‘As soon as it happened, I was like I’m not going to do a gig tonight. So I called the guy in charge up? he called the manager? so I walked out,? said Cavanaugh.
Calling a friend in Flint who was WTAC’s program director, Cavanaugh came to Flint for a job ? a career move that paid twice as much as Flint glided along benefitting from the auto industry ? and brought Cavanaugh to what arguably became Michigan’s music center.
Look to next week’s edition of The Clarkston News to see the conclusion of ‘Coming to a theater near you,? which will discuss Cavanaugh’s career once he arrived at Flint, his new book, and viewpoints on Michigan rockers past and present.