Remembering KCRW’s Matt Holzman, creator of The Business

This week we are remembering the late Matt Holzman, who personified KCRW. Holzman not only created The Business, but he was Kim Masters’ original banter buddy.

The two started bantering in March 2009, when the economy was being clobbered by the last recession.

When Holzman was away one week, we asked John Horn, then a film reporter at the LA Times, to fill in. Holzman knew and loved movies, but despite creating The Business, he was no expert — as he would have been the first to admit. In fact, he was the first to admit it. He listened to the banter with Horn and fired himself. Horn became Masters’ regular banter buddy until he moved on.

Holzman continued to produce the show, and it wasn’t always easy. He loved an argument — maybe to make things better or maybe just to argue. If Masters said beige, he’d say taupe. If Masters agreed on taupe, he’d say, “Explain why you said beige!” He was sometimes exhausting, but always brilliant. He was the embodiment of what makes KCRW special.

Matt Holzman died of cancer on Easter Sunday. All of us at KCRW are heartbroken.