When Tim Cavanagh finished school, he took a career
aptitude test and based on his verbal ability score, it suggested that he become
a mime. But as luck would have it, that
was the year mimes went on strike for better working conditions (bigger
make-believe boxes to be trapped in, a less stiff imaginary wind to run against,
etc.). So Tim walked away from the mime
world, although as he walked away, he pretended to be pulled along by a big
invisible dog.
For the next three years, Tim
taught religion at an all-girls Catholic high school. At night, he broke into comedy at Zanies,
Chicago's best
comedy club. This dual role, religion
teacher by day and comedian by night, began to take its toll. One night, as Tim threatened to call a
heckler's parents, he realized it was time to choose one career.
He picked comedy. Soon his funny songs were being heard
nationally on the legendary "Dr. Demento" radio show. With an ever growing collection of fun, witty
tunes, Tim was a perfect fit for radio.
In spite of an allergy to giraffes that kept him away from a number of
Morning Zoos, he has been a frequent and favorite guest on drive-time radio
shows across the country. With songs like "I Wanna Kiss Her (But She Won't Let
Me)," "99 Dead Baboons," and "Get Drunk with Dignity," Cavanagh has sung his way
into the hearts of radio audiences everywhere.
For several years, Tim worked
closely with radio personality and "Partridge Family" star Danny Bonaduce. Danny once said, "Tim's the funniest guy in
the world. He's so cute, you just wanna
kiss him." And that's coming from a man
who once beat up a guy in a dress.
Since 1997, Tim has been a
regular guest on the award winning "Bob & Tom" radio show, which is heard
nationwide on 120-plus stations. In that
time, Tim has performed over two hundred songs on the show. Many of those songs were part of a popular
weekly segment, "The One Minute Song," which he did on the show from
1998-2000.
Along the way, Tim was featured
on an ABC-TV prime time comedy special, as well as on Comedy Central and Comcast
Comedy Spotlight.
Since 1997, Tim has released
three comedy CDs on his own Hits & Giggles Records label. Tim recently recognized himself as "Best
Artist" on the Hits & Giggles roster, an award he has won three out of the
last five years. Even though he is the
only act on the roster, a misty-eyed Cavanagh was quoted as saying, "It's still
a big thrill."
Aside from headlining at comedy
clubs and touring with "The Friends of Bob & Tom" shows, Tim has performed
at hundreds of corporate events. From
Mayo Clinic and Xerox to the Midwest Poultry Federation and Prairie Bolt &
Screw, his clean and clever material has made him a hit. He is a professional member of the National
Speakers Association, and while that organization is the archenemy of the
National Mime Council, Tim still has cordial relations with several
mimes.
