Kevin and Bean

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Cover of "Kevin and Bean's Last Christmas"

Kevin and Bean is the morning show on KROQ, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show has been on the air for over fifteen years and incorporates traditional radio format with comedy bits, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins and live music performances.

The duo have released a number of charity albums, usually with a Christmas Theme. These have included "Kevin & Bean's Last Christmas" (proceeds to the Starlight Foundation), "Kevin and Bean: We've Got Your Yule Logs Hangin'", "The Year They Recalled Santa Claus", "Christmastime in the 909" (a reference to the area code 909 for the often ridiculed Inland Empire), and "Kevin and Bean's Super Christmas".

1 Personalities
2 Recurring Themes & Characters/Running Jokes
3 Availability
4 Trivia
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Personalities

Personality quirks abound on the show, with Kevin and especially Bean, and their numerous other personalities.

[edit] Kevin

Kevin has odd interests and characteristics that are mentioned on the show from time to time:

is obsessed with midgets, or little people; he thinks they're cool little things.
has packages mailed to his home using fake names, such as "The Duke of Tarzana"
loves things so bad that they are in turn good, earning the nickname 'The King of Bad'. He loves Rob Schneider movies, and horrible reality shows.
loves Miami Vice. He even dressed up as Don Johnson one Halloween.
has a 'unique' command of the English language.
has short-term memory 'difficulties'. One game played on the show "Does Kevin Know" had listeners placing bets on what common knowledge Kevin would be able to remember.
has a large head which has been known to block the view of concert-goers who sit behind him
is married to Melissa (who calls him "Lamby")
has twin daughters
is very particular about his underwear brand and style

[edit] Bean

Bean has odd interests and knowledge of little known subject matter. In particular Bean:

loves the Post Office and visits it frequently (he even had a poster of the postmaster general on his wall when he was younger)^[1]
loves 7-11 stores.
wore a Hello Kitty watch
owns many undeveloped websites, including one pertaining to the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (a Canadian ship that famously sank on the Lake Superior in 1975). Bean is obsessed with both the ship and the Gordon Lightfoot hit song about it.
is obsessed with Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the dwarf planet Pluto (he considers himself as a "Pluto enthusiast" despite the fact that it is no longer considered a planet). ^[2]
has a particular love for Asian women
claims to have few if any memories from childhood
is fascinated by "jet packs" and longs to own one some day
although Bean has yet to put up a personal website, he did, until recently, have a blog which he updated daily. Bean officially ended his blog on October 31, 2006.^[2] Once in a while they have a segment where the cast reads Bean's blog entries.
Lives in a pink house on Vashon Island (near Seattle)^[1]^[3] where he raises a host of farm animals including cows, pigs, sheep, and donkeys as family pets. Is married to Donna H. (Mendivil) Baxter^[1], who is the island's Mayor, and also a noted fashion designer.^[4]
once told Keanu Reeves to his face that he is one of our generation's worst actors
has a cell phone that rings with the theme song of Close Encounters of the Third Kind
was born and raised in England.^[1]
always longed to be in the jury of a court room, but he never gets a summons from the superior court (which explains the previous fact).
is a huge Fanilow (that is, a huge Barry Manilow fan).

[edit] Other cast members

Also on the show are:

Ralph Garman - The Man of 1,000 Voices (Bush, Gore, Cruise, Pacino, Michael Jackson, the Pope, Jerry Lewis, Dylan are just some), Ralph is one of the latest major additions to the Kevin and Bean family. Ralph covers the regular entertainment news segments and often acts as a substitute when Kevin or Bean is not present. He is also known to unleash hilariously bitter rants aimed at Kevin, Bean, 7-11 coffee lids (He prefers the "Solo" lids over the "Sweetheart" ones), random celebrity stupidity, Joan freakin' Rivers, the Griffith Observatory, and anything else he really doesn't like, like country music. A recurring joke at Ralph's expense refers to his spending nearly 2 months filming "Two for the Money" with Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey, only to have all but a few minutes of screen-time cut from the movie. He is also a Philadelphia native and a rabid Eagles fan. Is a huge fan of tweaking the words to memorable hits from the 80s and 90s, such as "Don't Worry Be Happy" and changing the words to phrases that sound vaguely similar, tying them into emails from KROQ listeners that may or may not be genuine. Ralph is a collector of memorabilia from the hit television series Batman, and would display Adam West in a glass case in his home if he could.
Lisa May - Ostensibly the traffic reporter, Lisa May chimes in during most of the segments, offering a female point of view, and is often the voice of reason. Callers often specifically greet Lisa.^[5] A good sport, she's not above putting her own foibles under the microscope and providing a focal point for the recurring game "Lick Lisa."
Psycho Mike - An assistant producer, Mike also is the fearless "man with a microphone" who conducts interviews in such uncomfortable places as the gym shower room and the Magic Johnson Theatre. He's often kidded on the show about his bodybuilding career, ambiguous sexuality and his strange body-image neuroses. He will make comments to other men in locker rooms about their large members questioning if they are actually real. His favorite movie, American Psycho, is about a serial killer of transients and prostitutes which he has seen hundreds of times. He is also the voice behind the impersonations of Kevin Federline, Brandon Davis, and Gene Simmons.
Dave Sanchez "The King of Mexico" - The show's lethargic phone screener, he has set the Guinness World Record for constant TV watching twice, only to have his new record voided each time for inconsistent record keeping. After a station concert or event, stories of Dave's drunken escapades run rampant. Has the taste of a 12 year old girl, idolizing young female stars such as Mandy Moore and Kristen Bell.
Doc on the 'ROQ - The surly newsman whose 60-second reports are interspersed throughout the show, his patience is often tested by K&B's needling and insults, giving the jokes about Doc "going postal" a certain air of authenticity. Funny moments include a call-in segment called "What's in Doc's Butt?," and the airing of conversations Lisa May secretly recorded when giving Doc a ride to work. His short-lived weekend news program proved that he didn't need K&B around in order to fly off the handle. Doc's tenuous relationship with the morning hosts has decreased the amount of on-air interaction between him and the rest of the cast over the years.
DJ Omar Khan - A man behind the scenes. A running on-air joke told at each of the show's remote events has the on-air guys relating exaggerated tales of Omar's wild behavior only to have Omar interrupt and remind them that he's still back at the studio while everybody else is having fun. Loves Tim Allen movies.
Producer Lightning (Jay Tilles) - The long-time producer of the show, he is often the butt of jokes regarding the pitch of his voice, the size of his monster truck, and the dozens of commercials he records. The nickname "Lightning" is supposed to be ironic, and references his annoyingly slow movements. After getting a lightning bolt tattoo, the cast temporarily refused to refer to him as "Lightning" and instead called him "DJ Tweeter", again in reference to the pitch of his voice.
Assistant Producer Alex - A woman behind the scenes whose on-air contributions are usually limited to voicing "Britney Spears" and occasionally relating her own various sexual experiences, earning her the light-hearted nickname of "Whore."
Rockin' Fig, a.k.a., "The Figster" - Figster reports in every morning with "Beach and Ski reports" which, while entertaining, are so heavily laden with lingo that they're completely unintelligible to anyone who's NOT a hardcore surfer/snowboarder.

[edit] Other personalities

Frequent guests of the show include:

Dieu To - An eccentric Asian caller, Dieu captured the fascination of K&B with his unique speech patterns (he repeatedly interjects the phrase "Kevin and Bean" in conversation), his "f-ed up eye" (which has since been corrected surgically), and his unabiding desire to make it in entertainment. Among his exploits are failed open mic appearances and the tentative changing of his name to "Bob To".
Loquecia (Voiced by Ralph Garman) - A feisty African-American hairdresser (she runs the Afroman Empire) calls in with recaps of whichever reality show is currently running, often pointing out how crazy white people are.
Sam the Armenian Comedian - A horrible comedian of unlimited confidence, he believes he is incredibly talented regardless of how often he's told otherwise. Also known to dabble in ventriloquism and heavy metal music, with similarly dismal results. Hated by all but Kevin even fellow Armenians view him as a disgrace (see above.)

[edit] Noted former cast members

The show has been the stepping stone for celebrities such as:

Jimmy Kimmel got his start as their sports announcer. Annually, he returns to the show to reprise his role as "Santa" Karl, an inappropriately crass Santa Claus character who takes calls from children in the voice of basketball player Karl Malone.
Adam Carolla would do spots as the cranky Mr. Birchum (who later became a character on Comedy Central's Crank Yankers).
Matt "Money" Smith, Jimmy's replacement, now does pre-game, post-game, and half-time reports for the Los Angeles Lakers on AM570. He also co-hosts a drive time sports talk show with Joe Grande and Wayne Cook titled "Good Times" Monday through Friday from 4-7 on AM570.

Other personalities no longer with the show include:

Big Tad, an overweight and incompetent production assistant, was fired and rehired by Kevin and Bean several times. He would also drive the KROQ van and give out prizes at various public locations. He was later given a job by Jimmy Kimmel and was seen on Jimmy Kimmel Live several times. Tad now works on Carolla's radio show.
Michael The Maintenance Man: an actual maintenance man in the building where KROQ had its studios. He would perform man-on-the-street interviews and make public appearances. He was heard on the show throughout the early 1990's.
Paul, The Fiftyfive Year Old Intern(aka Richard Cheese aka Mark Jonathan Davis): Also known as the World's Oldest Intern, would appear in comedy sketches and was a tireless fan of Frank Sinatra. He sang (badly) in the Sinatra style many times on the show.
Chet Waterhouse, Sports Reporter: Actually stand-up comedian Paul Cesario. The character of Waterhouse was a stereotypical bombastic sports reporter who spoke in a mealy-mouthed voice and used rickety metaphors. He was replaced by Jimmy Kimmel.
Super Steve - The show's rotund man on the street, Super Steve calls in from remote contest events and at times travels to announce contest winners in person. In the past, he has contributed "The Whole Enchilada" segments which put a comic spotlight on issues in the Latin community.

[edit] Recurring Themes & Characters/Running Jokes

"What it do, nephew?" — A daily listener call-in segment during the last 10-20 minutes of each day's program. Formerly known as "What's Your Deal?", callers can mouth off about any topic that is on their minds at the moment and have a chance to receive prizes for their rants.
"Ding" — Bean often rings a bell at the mention of an attractive woman's name. The practice extends to when callers specifically greet Lisa May, usually with a suggestive tone. At one point, a children's bicycle bell was used when attractive but underage stars were mentioned, such as the Olsen Twins and Lindsey Lohan. The cowbell is also used for larger women like Oprah Winfrey.
"The 909" — The guys often mock the Inland Empire area of southern California (which previously had the area code 909) for being a home to meth labs and trailer trash. On one April Fool's Day, the show staged a fake Blink 182 concert in the area as an "apology", sending many 909ers on a frantic search for the bogus event.
"Rock Me Amadeus" — Ralph's affinity for the 80's pop song by Falco led to a string of listener-submitted stories that would give Ralph an excuse to play a clip from the song. When that song was eventually "retired", Ralph moved on to classic hits such as "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby, "Heat of the Moment" by Asia and, on one occasion, Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell.
"Pedro Guerrero" — Riffing on the over-enunciated way that O.J. Simpson said the ballplayer's name on a 911 tape, the guys never pass a chance to repeat the name and will, at times, pronounce similar sounding names in the same way.
Bean's "girlfriend", Tyra Banks — Bean has repeatedly joked over the years that he and supermodel Tyra Banks are having a secret affair. This has led to the rest of the casts' hilarious attempts to disprove the affair and to make jokes about Bean's stalker behavior. The recurring joke took on new levels when Tyra was a guest on the show and confirmed their unspoken love.
Karl Malone and "Santa" Karl — Reprised each Christmas season by former cast member Jimmy Kimmel, "Santa" Karl has become somewhat of an inside joke for longtime listeners. In this bit, Kimmel takes calls from children, posing as Santa Claus as he might be voiced by basketball player Karl Malone. As the children give him their gift wish lists, "Santa" Karl provides improvised, usually inappropriate responses laced with sexual innuendo and other adult references. This bit originated when Kimmel began making fun of Karl Malone's radio program, vowing to perform his entire on-air appearances in the voice of Malone.
"There's always room for J-Lo!" — Although now seldom heard, for several years Ralph made almost daily mentions of Jennifer Lopez in the entertainment news bits, each followed with a lengthy explanation of how, despite the busy schedule and numerous more important stories, they were able to discuss Jennifer as, "there's always room for J-Lo."
The Kevin and Bean Curse — Soon after being interviewed for the show, local athletes or their teams often encounter bad luck, including injuries and losing streaks. The most notable victims are Mighty Ducks goalie Jean-Sébastien Giguere and Dodgers closer Eric Gagne.
Kevin Breaks Up Bands — Since he reported the break-up of Rage Against the Machine before it was officially announced, Kevin is often blamed for causing the break-up, a trend that continued with Blink 182 and Audioslave (even though they haven't broken up...yet).
Every April 1st the show will broadcast a hoax, usually in an attempt to lure fans to events that do not exist (The Mall of America in Orange, A free Blink 182 concert, Ralph's Bachelor Party). They have also in the past broadcast an entire show of Pirate Radio's Shannon in the Morning (former LA radio show), as well as running the typical Saturday morning show to throw off listeners.
Point for Pie! Point for Cake! refers to the endless debate of which is better...cake or pie? "Point for Cake" means that something is good.
"Uhhh-Ohhh!" — The pervertedly sensual moaning voice was frequently played whenever the names of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhal (actors of "Brokeback Mountain") came up and around the time when their movie was widely publicized. Sometimes it is followed by a phrase involving "the Sausage" with Ledger's and Gyllenhal's names mentioned in it.
"Lost" Recaps — Every Thursday K & B, along with caller "William", go over the details of the previous night's episode of ABC's hit drama "Lost." The Kevin & Bean show often selects other television programs of interest to recap.
"AFRO Line" — Kevin and Bean's voicemail line, which is (323) 520-AFRO. Callers dial up this number to leave their rants, jokes, puerile noises, and other commentary, which sometimes makes it on the air.
"Trapped in Closet" — R. Kelly's notorious song have become butt of K & B's jokes and insults.
K-Fed — Britney Spears' notorious ex-hubby and so-called "rap superstar" has also become a recent butt of K & B's jokes, often comparing him to one-time 90s white rapper Vanilla Ice. His divorce from Britney Spears lead to many jokes and sighs of relief by Kevin and Bean.
Kevin and Bean often announce that the long-running Brandon Davis and Jed The Fish impersonations are done by a variety of people, most often including actor Ashton Kutcher when, in fact, they are done by Psycho Mike. Mike will then voice his displeasure, usually with a disgruntled, "Hey!"

[edit] Availability

KROQ is a notoriously low-powered station and listeners in remote areas, or even in particular buildings, often have a difficult time getting clear reception of the show. As a result, listeners have complained for years that Kevin and Bean were not on the Internet. However this changed on February 6, 2006, when KROQ started streaming online. (KROQ also did not have a web site for many years after the Internet became established.)

Kevin and Bean were also broadcast in Fresno, California for several years, but that station began broadcasting the Adam Carolla Show when it started in January 2006.

The show runs from 5:30 to 10:00, weekday mornings. The early hour will often repeat a comedy segment from the day before; segments from early in the show are often replayed a second time later in the show.

[edit] Trivia

Most of the cast lives in Southern California, except for co-host Bean, who now lives on an island near Seattle, Washington. He broadcasts via a studio in his home. He used to live in Southern California in the Santa Clarita area, but moved to Washington in 1999.
Kevin and Bean start and end their Friday shows with a cover of "Don't Bogart Me" by Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, sung by the cast. For a while, they opened the Monday show with "The Boys Are Back In Town" after it was suggested by a listener.
Many of their stunts have been stolen by Rick Dees during his stint as host of KIIS-FM's morning show. Ryan Seacrest has stolen some of their most popular segments as well.
Every year on Lisa May's birthday, Kevin and Bean call QVC and purchase whatever is being shown on television at the moment for Lisa's birthday gift, regardless of the price or usefulness of the product. The gift is always less than desirable, and the cheaper the price, the happier the boys are. One year, Lisa and Ralph enlisted the services of an actress to play the QVC operator, and tricked Kevin and Bean into thinking they just bought her a high definition TV.
Kevin and Bean debuted on the station on December 31, 1989, when they hosted the annual countdown of the year's best songs.
Kevin and Bean hosted "Godzilla Theater" on KCAL 9 in Los Angeles in the early 90's. It was on after midnight and showed the various Godzilla movies interlaced with witty banter between Kevin & Bean.
Kevin and Bean were hired by the Fox Network in the early to mid 90s to do voice-overs in between Fox shows. Their radio banter didn't translate well in such short segments, and they soon disappeared from that role.
Kevin and Bean did a short stint on the E! Entertainment Television channel.
Kevin and Bean were the announcers for the Grammy Awards of 2005. Kevin returned as the solo announcer in 2006.

Legal trivia

The Kevin and Bean show was once the subject of an episode of Unsolved Mysteries following a caller claiming to have been the cause of an unknown murder. This event also became the inspiration behind the movie "Power 98" (1996) starring Eric Roberts. The call, broadcast on June 13, 1990, part of a segment called "Confess Your Crime" was a hoax arranged with another DJ, Doug "The Slug" Roberts and resulted in KROQ being sued for mental anguish by parents of a missing woman who believed the caller was referring to their daughter. The station was later fined for the incident by the FCC and billed over twelve thousand dollars by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which had invested time investigating the case.^[6] KROQ suspended Kevin, Bean and Roberts for five days without pay, directed each of them to perform 149 hours of community service, and forced them to pay the Sheriff’s bill out of their pockets.
Michael "the maintenance man" Burton, a practicing Muslim, left the Kevin & Bean morning show in the fall of 1995 and filed a wrongful-termination suit charging the station along with Kevin and Bean with racial and religious discrimination. The suit was settled in late 1996.^[7]^[8]
The show caused international controversy when Ralph made a crank phone call to the office of French president Jacques Chirac while posing as Jerry Lewis. All were surprised when Chirac picked up the phone and began talking to "Jerry".^[6] Lewis's lawyers were quick to threaten with lawsuits and the bit has rarely been spoken of since. Recent allusions have been made on the air that Lewis "blackmailed" Kevin and Bean into making a contribution to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the beneficiary of Lewis' annual Labor Day telethon.
There was a legal dispute between "Grandpa" Al Lewis "Munster" that is mentioned occasionally but, never explained.
A Los Angeles man filed a breach of contract suit in Jan 2004 against the station and Kevin and Bean saying he was cheated out of a free SUV.^[9]