R.I.P. Bryan Ollie

One of KSER's most widely loved DJs passed away yesterday, after a short, brutal fight with esophageal cancer.

Bryan Ollie hosted the "Soul & Funk Express," which began its run on Monday nights but soon was rescheduled to become a very popular part of KSER's strong Saturday schedule. (I started "Twenty Flight Rock" in that late-night Monday time slot after Bryan's show moved.) He hosted that program until the pandemic began, and chose to retire his show some time afterward. Later, with Bryan's blessing, Bud Piland took over the name of the show as one of the rotating DJs in the "Saturday Soul" time slot. (I fill in that time slot whenever the month includes a fifth Saturday.)

I always enjoyed filling in for Bryan on his show ... and I felt honored to be asked, since the task involved filling some big shoes. Bryan had great passion and knowledge of soul, funk and R&B, but his passion for rock was equally deep. He grew up in southern California, listening to "Rodney on the 'ROQ" and hearing the punk and new wave bands of the era. He told me he'd been in the crowd at the Rose Bowl in 1988 when D.A. Pennebaker shot the Depeche Mode concert movie 101.

Bryan was one of the first real friends I made after moving here to Washington. Much like me (or any of us on this board), he maintained his passion for music long after a lot of folks get overcome by other priorities. He went with me to see The English Beat, Garbage, The Interrupters, Adam Ant, Billy Idol, and Morris Day & The Time, to name just the shows I remember off the top of my head. And we really clicked with the conversations we had, right from the start. I knew I found a kindred spirit.

That kindred spirit is free now, leaving behind a wife and two grown children who truly loved him, and a lot of friends who'll never forget him.

Rest in peace, brother. You're already deeply missed.

I am truly sorry for your (and Seattle's) loss Delvin, I wish I had more friends like Bryan in my life, it's rare that I get to engage with people who have such a love of music (apart from the folks on this forum) and truly understand our passions for it.

*stupid question* Is someone at KSER doing a tribute set to him? I'd love to listen to it.

Thank you for your kind words, Bandit. I anticipate that Bud Piland will give tribute to Bryan today, in the "Saturday Soul" time slot that Bryan put on the radio map here — 3PM to 5PM Pacific time today.

I should've done a tribute last night on my show, but I still feel kinda numbed by the news. It struck me differently from Goose's death, three years ago; it's been kind of surreal, and harder to wrap my mind around, in some ways. Bryan and his family chose to keep his visitors sharply curtailed, since the chemo had leveled his immune system. But I did have a long conversation with him on the phone, right after he'd received his diagnosis. At least we got to talk about the good times we'd had, and share love and respect with each other.

When Goose got sick, his girlfriend needed all the support she could get. So I was visiting the hospital every day, watching all hope waste away along with the rest of him. Conversation became impossible because of the meds he was on. It was awful to watch ... but it sure left no room for denial.