Wull, yeah, if you've had only good experiences with them, of course you're not going to think badly of them. And it's your seeming willingness to accept their version of things without seriously thinking about them or questioning them that makes you a suck up.
But you inadvertently pinpointed the problem with this:
"I used to think I was the biggest Dune fan ever...."
That's Kevin's problem. He automatically assumes that you either know nothing or that he will always know more than you. As far as the unpublished material, yeah, that's valid only because he's seen it and we haven't. But he's shown with his writing and his answers to questions (and more importantly, his refusal to address other serious questions) that his grasp of some of the published stuff ain't that firm.
I'm sure he's just as personable and friendly as he can be to you online, and that if you met him in person he'd charm the pants right off you.

But my experience was different. I didn't appreciate the way he talked down to me from our very first email exchange. (He obviously assumed I was one of his usual ADD-sufferer/memory-impaired fans. ... Ah, no, he knew I wasn't a fan, because I told him I wasn't when I first contacted him.)
So...this is where you spout one of your famous platitudes about everybody having their own opinion and view and experiences and...and...cue the kumbaya.

"Let the dead give water to the dead. As for me, it's NO MORE FUCKING TEARS!"