Buzz Kilman
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Julian "Buzz" Kilman, born in Detroit, Michigan, is a radio talk show personality.
He started in radio as the public service director for WBUS-FM, "The Magic Bus" in Miami Beach, Florida. Kilman remained there until station management discovered many of his late night interviews were spoofs. In 1974, he was at WSHE-FM in Ft. Lauderdale, where he did morning news and a weekend public service talk show that had many comedic spoofs.
In 1980, he went to WLUP-FM in Chicago and did news for the Steve Dahl Show. After Dahl was fired in 1981, Kilman did news for a series of morning personalities until he teamed up with Jonathon Brandmeier in 1983 on WLUP. Later, after moving to WCKG to do the mid-day "showgram" with Brandmeier, stalled contract negotiations between CBS and Brandmeier caused Kilman to do the mid-day show alone, and thus the "Temporary Buzz Kilman Show" was born. Shortly thereafter, Wendy Snyder was brought on as a co-host for the now temporary-less "Buzz Kilman Show". The approximately two-year run of the show culminated with the "Blobus Festivus" outdoor music and variety show. On April 1, 2002, the duo moved to afternoons with the Steve Dahl show, replacing Joy Masada and Dave McBride.
When Kilman came to Chicago, he brought his harmonica and a predisposition to the blues. In 1983 he formed the All Bubba Blues Band and played around the area for the next 15 years until the band broke up in the mid 90's. In 2001 he formed the Blues Rocket Scientists and continues to play.
As a result of his friendship with director Jonathan Demme, Kilman has appeared in a number of bit parts in Demme's films. For instance, he played a paramedic in The Silence of the Lambs (film). In the scene where Hannibal Lecter, impersonating a wounded guard, is taken away to an ambulance, one paramedic can be heard referring to the other as "Buzz."
Always a movie fan and occasional critic, he and noted artist Tony Fitzpatrick did a weekly radio segment on WLUP called Drive In Reviews in which they coined the phrase "quality kill." In the mid 90's they took the show to television on Comedy Central, during which they featured particularly gruesome film clips from their favorite horror movies.
Kilman is married and resides with his wife Aimee and daughter Piper in Chicago.
