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If you were an Ottawa high school kid in the 1970s and ’80s, Mark Elliot was your music god, the “Golden Voice” spinning the top hits at CFRA or crosstown rival CFGO.

He was the city’s pre-eminent DJ in a pre-internet, pre-MTV era when AM radio set the city’s musical taste. But it was what he did live on air the night of July 16, 1986, that cemented his legend.

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“CFRA with Peter Gabriel giving us Sledgehammer,” Elliot told his listeners. “And I’ve got mine in my hand and I’m about to drop it.”

Elliot wanted to be paid more than his “janitor wages” (few people knew Elliot had a costly cocaine addiction that was spiralling out of control). But he was also angry that his nightly Top 35 show was being cut back to the Top 20.

“I’m a little bit mad about that,” Elliot said. “New music needs a place on radio and this show has offered a lot of new music which I’m proud of … But the trend is moving older and that disappoints me. I had hoped that being No. 1 in this time slot would protect this show from changes. That’s not so.”