Johnny Dean (born John Hutchinson Dean; 12 December 1971) is a British musician, frontman and figure of the 1990s

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

era. He was the frontman of

Menswear Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion ind ...

(stylized Menswe@r) and is currently working on a solo,

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

project called Fxxk Explosion.

Early years, Menswear

Born to a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

father in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, Dean had a nomadic upbringing throughout the UK and Europe, followed by a brief period at art school, before becoming visible in the early 1990s

scene. He was first featured in

Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...

's " Do You Remember the First Time?" music video, and in an article in '' Select'' magazine about the

mod Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...

-inspired club scene. He was a founder member of

alongside Stuart Black in 1994; between then and 1998, when the band dissolved, they scored a number of UK Top 40 singles. He then formed

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

with Black, a line-up which lasted until 2000. Dean was the subject of a track by

Art Brut Art Brut are a Berlin-based English and German indie rock band. Their debut album, '' Bang Bang Rock & Roll'', was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, ''It's a Bit Complicated'', released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Je ...

called "I Wanna Be Johnny Dean" and numerous comic strips in music publications. As frontman of Menswear he toured worldwide, had several appearances on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'', and was featured on magazine covers and centrefold pinups throughout the 1990s.

After diagnosis (2009-present)

Dean was diagnosed with

pervasive developmental disorder The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), is a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and co ...

in 2009 and has started campaigning on behalf of the

National Autistic Society The National Autistic Society is the leading charity for autistic people and their families in the UK. Since 1962, the National Autistic Society has been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, serv ...

.Palmer-Violet, Jennifer (2013)
Music News "Dean there, done that"
10 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013. In recent interviews, Dean has expressed the torment he experienced before his diagnosis, and his desire to raise awareness of the autism spectrum. On Friday 7 June 2013, Dean made his first sold-out live appearance in 15 years with the Nuis@nce Band performing the songs of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

to raise funds for The National Autistic Society in London.Doyle, Wesley (2013)
The Quietus "Moonage Daydreamer: Johnny Dean Interviewed"
7 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.Baker, Jamie (2013)
Soundsphere "Exclusive Interview: Johnny Dean"
15 May 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.Lipski, Luke (2013)
Art Rocker "Tonight Matthew, Johnny Dean of Menswe@r is…David Bowie"
, 5 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013. A new Menswear line-up played their first show in 15 years on 16 August 2013; original member Dean was joined by members of The Nuisance Band. The sold-out event was in aid of the mental health charity PMA Sport's Academy and #TimeToChange campaign which Johnny Dean was invited to promote alongside

The Saturdays The Saturdays were a British-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and have been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vanessa Wh ...

Frankie Sandford Francesca Bridge ( Sandford, born 14 January 1989) is an English singer, formerly a member of S Club Juniors and a member of girl group The Saturdays. She is signed to Fascination and Polydor labels. Bridge began her career when she auditioned ...

Uri Geller Uri Geller ( ; he, אורי גלר; born 20 December 1946) is an Israeli-British illusionist, magician, television personality, and self-proclaimed psychic. He is known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other ill ...

and

Ruby Wax Ruby Wax (; born 19 April 1953) is an American-British actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and mental health campaigner. A classically-trained actress, Wax was with the Royal Shakespeare Company for five years and co-starred on t ...

.Official Stuart Semple Website
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Discography

References

External links

menswearband.comJohnny Dean's Official Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Johnny 1971 births Living people Autism activists People on the autism spectrum British pop singers Britpop musicians 21st-century British singers British people with disabilities