JAYPLAY
April19,2001
entertainment news
For comments, contact Erinn R. Barcomb at 864-4810 or email jayplay@kansan.com www.kansan.com/arts
Malicious Intent DJ's HARD-CORE IMAGE doesn't reflect his hidden,
Refined Tastes
By Phil Cauthon, Jayplay writer
ean Dean's soft and sensitive side is often obscured by his hard-core metal image.
But to truly know the KJHK DJ, you have to appreciate both sides.
When the infamous "Metal Machine" alter ego is at the forefront, Mean Dean is no doubt wailing on his air guitar and summoning demonic voices from his gutturals to complement the obscene decibels of his heavy metal music.
This might easily send more timorous sorts reeling with fear — or at least apprehension.
But Dean figures if his mom can grow to appreciate metal, anyone can.
Lori Edington, his mother, is a kindergarten teacher and mother of five. Though she'd rather Dean put his black clothes and screeching music behind him, she supports his passion, including his KJHK show Malicious Intent.
"I listen to it when I can," she said from her home in west Kansas City. "But some nights the reception isn't that great. I'll call up and say 'Hey, this is caller 666, did I win anything?' and he'll say 'Hey, mom.' I think it's great, though — he's doing what he loves."
Metal Maniacs, The New York Times of metal media, ranked Mean Dean's radio show number four in the nation. That's number four among all stations, including commercial stations with professional DJs. The honor was bestowed upon Dean in October 2000.
As a DJ, Dean gives callers
a fair chance to have their cuts aired. He also gives local bands equal air with the national acts - perhaps one reason some Lawrence metal bands have made it big.
"Every kid that gives me a demo tape, I'll play it at least once on the air, even if it's really horrid, just to get some audience response," he said. "At the shows, there are people who know the band's material; and where are they hearing the stuff besides the shows? Malicious Intent."
But then there's his not-somalicious side — the impeccably polite and refined music theory student, Dean Douglas Michael Edington, Jr., who likes to don a robe, sip hot black tea and listen to Harry Potter books on tape in his free time. He also has a flair for Shakespeare and the swooning sounds of the flamenco guitar.
This behavior might worry his metal head comrades, but most people never see the softer side of Dean Douglas Michael. To the thousands in the Lawrence area who know his name, Mean Dean is known only as the "Metal Machine."
But Perri McCroskey, Dean's girlfriend, said his softer side provided balance to his hard-core metal image.
"He's really silly. That's totally a non-metal word, but he's basically a big dork," she said, laughing. "I certainly appreciate that being a big non-metal dork myself.
"That's something you don't expect with his metal image, you know from somebody that embodies Satan as
far as the general public is concerned. And very sensitive. If people say something horrible about him, it hurts him."
But he's the man to know around here if you're a metal band looking for recognition, concert dates or promotions. He has a seemingly insatiable appetite for all things metal, and his machine-like work ethic could make him a wildly successful entrepreneur one day.
Wearing his black, metal garb, he exudes the stereotypical persona of a hardcore metal maniac who lives for the screeching chaos of heavy metal music.
And judging solely by his appearance, a person would never guess he sips black tea or appreciates flamenco master Paco de Lucia.
"Metal draws its influences from many sources, as do I," Dean said. "Paco de Lucia and James Hetfield (of Metallica) are both geniuses, both doing beautiful things with a guitar. If you start with one of those guys you can appreciate the other."
Although Mean Dean's dual dimensions may seem diametrically opposed, he said his hard-core and softer sides made perfect sense.
But if you're one of those people who hears only the sadistic sounding side of heavy metal or fears those dark, long-hair metal-heads dressed in black who mosh feverishly at metal concerts, Dean advised there was nothing to fear but fear itself.
Take Dean, himself, for example.
His attire isn't from the Gap
and the music he loves sometimes talks about disemboweling ex-girlfriends and other forms of human sacrifice, but he would tell you he comes from a strong family and he has never considered suicide or any other form of mayhem seemingly encouraged by metal lyrics.
He also works around the clock arranging tour dates and venues for his local friends and favorite bands, including nationally known metal bands such as The Esoteric, Wormwood and Origin.
As public relations representative for Arm Records, Dean sifts through appeals from wanna-be metal stars who sometimes literally beat down his door trying to garner some of his limited time
He makes screen printed shirts, jackets and thongs, posters, flyers and album covers with production company Bear Press.
He runs the Midwest Metal newsletter, each week updating about 300 subscribers to "all things metal."
And then there's the less glorious job that pays the bills — events staff personnel for Pipeline Productions.
Between playing local bands on his show and promoting the local metal scene, Dean is on a mission.
"Now it's KJ's time to step up to the plate and do something important, and I think some people are scared of that," he said. "But that's the whole point: to expose the masses to the greatest music on the planet — heavy metal."
Edited by Jacob Roddy
MEAN DEAN
Check out Mean Dean's show
Malicious Intent, from 8 to midnight
Sundays on KJHK 90.7 FM. Read
more about Dean at www.peo-
ple.ukans.edu/~allyosha/mean-
dean.htm or through
www.kuede.com.
JAYPLAY inside
Horoscopes . .2B
Crossword . .2B
Music . .3B
Fine Arts ... 2,3B
Movies ... 4B
Classifieds ... 5B
Serve this!
Local restaurant workers describe fear and loathing in the service industry.
See page 3B
Freddy got what?
Surprisel Tom Green's
new movie isn't lacking
gross-out potential.
See page 48
Sapphire Band bringing its new approach to rock to Lawrence. See page 6B
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