Birthday - May 23
Dean grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. As it seems is the usual story in this band, Dean started playing music when he was 10. He spent a few years learning to play acoustic guitar and then, at the age of 15, bought an album that would shape his destiny…AC/DC's Back In Black. This was the record that sent Dean running to the bank to withdraw all his pocket money to buy an electric guitar…an Ibanez Firebird.

Dean then focused all his attention on music and joined his first band. Third Wave. Around the same time he met a local bloke named Russell Crowe who successfully talked him into forming a musical partnership. After only three shows, Dean quit Third Wave and the songwriting team of Crowe/Cochran began.

Together they formed a band in Auckland called Roman Antix and toured together in a production of 'The Rocky Horror Show'. Then in 1987 they packed up and moved to Australia. It was still many years before they formed TOFOG, but all during that period Dean and Russell would get together to write and record demos.