‘Cuzzin Brad’ Mullen, who brought dry humor to several Utah alternative radio stations, dies at 49

Brad Mullen, who for three decades brought absurd humor to Utah radio stations under the name “Cuzzin Brad”, has died.

Mullen died Wednesday, according to a Facebook post from his youngest employer, KLO-FM, 103.1 The Wave. He was 49 years old. No cause of death was named.

“Everyone is just in shock,” said his friend and colleague Chet Tapp, now the morning presenter at The Wave, on Thursday. “Nobody [at the station] knows what to do, what to say. Nobody saw it coming. … Some of us, like me, still can’t quite process it. “

Mullen worked on rock and pop radio stations in Utah for over 30 years. His last post was at KLO, where he hosted The Wave morning show for several years and recently worked the weekend shifts while continuing to host two of the station’s signature shows: “The Newer New Wave” on Wednesday night and the Sunday night Industrial Show ” Restlessness on the 7th day ”.

“He was one of the few radio people I enjoyed listening to,” said Kerry Jackson, co-host of X96’s “Radio From Hell” morning show. Jackson said Mullen – once a colleague and more recently his competition – “was one of the most creative and funniest people I have ever met”.

“You never knew what he was going to do next – but it would always be fun,” said Todd Nuke ‘Em, program director at X96, who compared Mullen’s humor to avant-garde comedian Andy Kaufman.

Tapp said Mullen’s humor was dry and “super-sarcastic”.

“It wasn’t your typical laugh, people laughed at each other’s jokes in the morning, blah, blah, blah,” said Tapp. “He just wasn’t a normal radio operator. I think that made him stand out among the radio people. “

Brad Lee Mullen was born on June 14, 1972 in Salt Lake City to David and Mary Mullen. A year earlier, his older brother Evan died when he was three days old.

He grew up in Roy and graduated from Roy High School. He attended Weber State University and worked on the college radio station KWCR Wildcat Radio.

According to his family, Mullen also worked the night shift at the Country Cousins ​​supermarket in Roy while he was a student. He called the KJQ radio station and eventually convinced night host Dom Casual to do a nightly check-in called “Cuzzin Brad’s Country Store Chat”. The nickname stayed.

Mullen then made a demo tape and mailed it to Casual’s boss, Program Director Mike Summers, urging him to give him his first job, where he worked weekend and night shifts at KJQ in the early 1990s.

According to Tapp, Mullen was one of the last people left behind at KJQ when most of the on-air talent quit because of a management change. Much of that talent ended up in the newly launched X96 (KXRK-FM), and Mullen joined them a short time later, Tapp said.

After eight years at X96, mostly on the night shift, Mullen moved to Spokane, Washington, and was lured by Casual with an offer to host a morning show – “the ultimate radio bug,” Tapp said. That job lasted 18 months and Mullen returned to Utah. Mullen worked for a media company for a while, Tapp said, then returned to radio at KENZ (101.9 The End) and later at an online station that Tapp had started.

Tapp said he convinced KLO to adopt the format of their online station and focus on the new wave hits of the 80s – which became 103.1 The Wave in 2016. Tapp introduced Mullen to the management of KLO and soon “Cuzzin Brad” began hosting the morning show on The Wave. Recently, Mullen moved to The Wave on weekends while he had a day job at Overstock.com.

In 1998, Mullen married Shauna Nanell Gottwald; their marriage was divorced in 2017. A year later, Mullen met Lisa Westwood, who the family calls “the love of his life”.

Mullen is survived by his girlfriend Lisa Westwood; his mother, Mary Mullen; his sister Amy Mullen; his brothers Eric Mullen and Andrew Mullen; and seven nieces and nephews. His father David and older brother Evan have previously died.

A private memorial service for family and close friends is scheduled for Friday, July 9th. Plans for a public celebration are still in the works, said Tapp.

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