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'''Ween''' was an American [[experimental rock]] band from [[New Hope, Pennsylvania]] that formed in 1984. The key members were vocalist and songwriter [[Gene Ween|Aaron Freeman]] (a.k.a. Gene Ween) and guitarist [[Dean Ween|Mickey Melchiondo Jr.]] (a.k.a. Dean Ween), and the two performed as a duo backed by a [[Digital Audio Tape]] for the band's first ten years of existence before expanding to a four (and later five) piece act. The choice of pseudonyms was inspired by [[The Ramones]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Dean Ween Biography|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0917395/bio|website=IMDb|accessdate=2014-12-31}}</ref> and both members were more commonly referred to by their fans as Gene/Gener or Dean/Deaner than their real names. The band's style was eclectic, and while they could generally be referred to as [[rock music]], one of their defining tendencies has been experimentation with various styles incorporating a strong element of humor and absurdity. Despite being generally unknown in pop music, Ween developed a large, devoted [[cult following]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ingram|first1=Laynce|title=Band Ween and its cult-like following to The Lyric Theatre provide an insider’s look at who a musician’s true fans are|url=http://archive.thedmonline.com/article/band-ween-and-its-cult-following-lyric-theatre-provide-insider%E2%80%99s-look-who-musician%E2%80%99s-true-fa|website=The DM Online|accessdate=2015-01-01}}</ref> After a 28-year run, Freeman quit the band in 2012, effectively ending Ween.
'''Ween''' was an American [[experimental rock]] band from [[New Hope, Pennsylvania]] that formed in 1984. The key members were vocalist and songwriter [[Gene Ween|Aaron Freeman]] (a.k.a. Gene Ween) and guitarist [[Dean Ween|Mickey Melchiondo Jr.]] (a.k.a. Dean Ween), and the two performed as a duo backed by a [[Digital Audio Tape]] for the band's first ten years of existence before expanding to a four (and later five) piece act. The choice of pseudonyms was inspired by [[The Ramones]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Dean Ween Biography|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0917395/bio|website=IMDb|accessdate=2014-12-31}}</ref> and both members were more commonly referred to by their fans as Gene/Gener or Dean/Deaner than their real names. The band's style was eclectic, and while they could generally be referred to as [[rock music]], one of their defining tendencies has been experimentation with various styles incorporating a strong element of humor and absurdity. Despite being generally unknown in pop music, Ween developed a large, devoted [[cult following]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ingram|first1=Laynce|title=Band Ween and its cult-like following to The Lyric Theatre provide an insider’s look at who a musician’s true fans are|url=http://archive.thedmonline.com/article/band-ween-and-its-cult-following-lyric-theatre-provide-insider%E2%80%99s-look-who-musician%E2%80%99s-true-fa|website=The DM Online|accessdate=2015-01-01}}</ref> After a 28-year run, Freeman quit the band in 2012, effectively ending Ween. Ween's songs are represented by [[Downtown Music Publishing]].


==History==
==History==

Revision as of 21:44, 27 February 2015

For other uses, see Ween (disambiguation).
Ween
Founding members Mickey Melchiondo (left) and Aaron Freeman (right) in 1997
Founding members Mickey Melchiondo (left) and Aaron Freeman (right) in 1997
Background information
OriginNew Hope, Pennsylvania, USA
GenresAlternative rock, experimental rock, avant-garde, neo-psychedelia, lo-fi
Years active1984 – 2012
LabelsElektra, Chocodog, Sanctuary, Rounder, Shimmy Disc, Schnitzel Records Ltd.
Past membersDean Ween
Gene Ween
Claude Coleman Jr.
Dave Dreiwitz
Glenn McClelland
Andrew Weiss
Websiteween.com

Ween was an American experimental rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania that formed in 1984. The key members were vocalist and songwriter Aaron Freeman (a.k.a. Gene Ween) and guitarist Mickey Melchiondo Jr. (a.k.a. Dean Ween), and the two performed as a duo backed by a Digital Audio Tape for the band's first ten years of existence before expanding to a four (and later five) piece act. The choice of pseudonyms was inspired by The Ramones,[1] and both members were more commonly referred to by their fans as Gene/Gener or Dean/Deaner than their real names. The band's style was eclectic, and while they could generally be referred to as rock music, one of their defining tendencies has been experimentation with various styles incorporating a strong element of humor and absurdity. Despite being generally unknown in pop music, Ween developed a large, devoted cult following.[2] After a 28-year run, Freeman quit the band in 2012, effectively ending Ween. Ween's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing.

History

Early years (1984-1989)

Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in a junior high school typing class in 1984.[3] Freeman recalled, "We didn’t like each other. He was a jock, and I was more of a trench-coat guy. But we sat next to each other in typing class and both realized we were into music."[4] The name Ween was a word made up by the duo, a combination of the words wuss and penis.[5] Their earliest home recordings were drug fueled and free-spirited; Melchiondo would later say about this era, "the music was designed to be obnoxious."[5] From 1984 until 1994, Ween's live lineup consisted of Freeman on lead vocals and occasional rhythm guitar, Melchiondo on lead guitar and backing vocals, and a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) machine providing the pre-recorded backing tracks. They self-released six cassettes in the late eighties: Mrs. Slack (1985), The Crucial Squeegie Lip (1986), Axis: Bold as Boognish (1987), Erica Peterson's Flaming Crib Death (1987), The Live Brain Wedgie/WAD (1988), and Prime 5 (1989). In 1987, Freeman also released his own tape, Synthetic Socks, which featured Melchiondo on a few tracks. Ween's public debut was at the New Hope-Solebury High School talent show in 1986, where they performed a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" with Chris Williams (a.k.a. Mean Ween) on bass and Karl Weimer on drums. Although this era was mostly just Freeman, Melchiondo and the DAT machine, they did play a few shows in the '80s as "The Ween" backed by the Rollins Band rhythm section, Andrew Weiss and Sim Cain.[6] By 1988 they had become regulars at John and Peter's in New Hope and City Gardens in Trenton, New Jersey. It was at City Gardens that they opened for acts such as They Might Be Giants, GWAR, Butthole Surfers, and Henry Rollins. Following a February 1990 City Gardens performance where Ween's reception was lukewarm, Rollins got on stage and warned the crowd to "start liking them now," for one day, "you will get down on your filthy knees and crawl to the altar that is Ween."[7]

GodWeenSatan, The Pod and Pure Guava (1990-1993)

Dave Ayers, working in A&R for Minneapolis-based record label Twin/Tone, went to see a live performance by alt-rock band Skunk in the late '80s in Maplewood, New Jersey in anticipation of signing them to a record deal. Ween, friends of Skunk, was the opening act that night. Ayers signed Ween to Twin/Tone that night, and would soon become the band's manager. Skunk would break up in 1991 and their drummer, Claude Coleman Jr., would play a few shows with Ween in 1992 before joining the band full-time in 1994.[8]

Ween debut album for Twin/Tone, GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, was released on January 1, 1990. It consisted of 26 tracks that were written during their first six years, and can be thought of as a "best of" this era. Some of the songs, such as "You Fucked Up" and "Bumblebee," had already appeared on various Ween cassettes from the late '80s. "You Fucked Up," "Fat Lenny," "Nan," and the heavily Prince-inspired "L.M.L.Y.P." would become staples of the band's live show for years to come. Ween played their first overseas shows in support of the album, with a series of dates in the Netherlands in December/January 1990-91.[9]

The band released their second full-length album, The Pod, in 1991 on the Shimmy-Disc label. Recorded on a four-track cassette recorder from January to October 1990, the album borrows its title from the Solebury Township, Pennsylvania apartment in which it was recorded. The duo's use of drum machines, pitch-tweaked guitars and vocals and drug-laced humor became a trademark part of their sound. The cover of The Pod was a parody of the cover of the 1975 Leonard Cohen album, The Best of Leonard Cohen, but with the head of Chris "Mean Ween" Williams (who played bass on the Pod track "Alone") in place of Cohen's. Although the liner notes claim the album was recorded under the influence of scotchgard, Freeman would later say that this was tongue-in-cheek.[10] Following the release of The Pod, Ween embarked on their first extensive U.S. tour, as well as a week-long U.K. tour that included a recording with John Peel in the BBC studio. The February 1992 U.K. tour would be Ween's first performances with Claude Coleman Jr., and also featured Shimmy-Disc founder Kramer on bass.

Ween signed with Elektra Records and released their third album, Pure Guava on November 10, 1992. Pure Guava featured their highest charting single, "Push th' Little Daisies" which gained them media and MTV attention, as the video was a highlighted target on MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head. The song was also a hit in Australia, reaching #18 on the singles chart.[11] The track "Flies on My Dick" featured lead vocals by Guy Heller, singer of Melchiondo's other band, Moistboyz. Heller would occasionally perform the song live with Ween.[12]

Chocolate and Cheese, 12 Golden Country Greats and The Mollusk (1994-1999)

Following the release of Pure Guava, Ween began to expand their live and studio line-up, providing both a crisper production sound in the studio and an easier live setup. Claude Coleman Jr. officially joined the band as drummer in March 1994, while Ween's long-time producer Andrew Weiss picked up the bass duties. The Weiss-produced Chocolate and Cheese was released in 1994, featuring tracks influenced by '70s pop/rock and soul, such as "Freedom of '76" and "Voodoo Lady," the latter of which appeared on the Road Trip and Dude, Where's My Car? soundtracks. The "Freedom of '76" music video was directed by Spike Jonze; the band also shot a video for "I Can't Put My Finger On It" that was filmed at a Middle Eastern restaurant and featured actual employees of the restaurant. Both videos would be shown on season 5 of Beavis and Butt-Head in 1995. Ween performed "I Can't Put My Finger On It" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in January 1995. The Chocolate and Cheese track "Roses Are Free" began being covered by Phish regularly in concert in 1997. Freeman would later comment: "I like Trey Anastasio as a person, but as far as the music goes, all that jam band shit makes me want to puke."[13] In 2011, Chocolate and Cheese would have a book written about it by Hank Shteamer, as a part of the 33⅓ book series about music albums.

One month prior to the release of Chocolate and Cheese, Ween would appear in the Saturday Night Live film It's Pat starring Julia Sweeney. The band (which in the film consisted of Freeman, Melchiondo, Weiss, and Weiss' brother John Weiss as the drummer) was featured in a memorable supporting role and also performed the Pod track "Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese" as well as the Pure Guava track "Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)." The film was a box office bomb and was pulled from theaters one week after it's opening weekend.[14]

Also in 1994, Freeman, Melchiondo and Coleman collaborated with Japanese noise rock band Boredoms on a project that would be released two years later as Z-Rock Hawaii. Melchiondo became a big fan of Boredoms upon seeing them live in Philadelphia in 1993, calling them "the heaviest band [he] had ever seen since the Butthole Surfers".[15] Boredoms frontman Yamantaka Eye had previously released an album that heavily sampled Ween's Pod album. These recording sessions took place in a Pennington, New Jersey studio during the recording of Chocolate and Cheese.

Ween turned to Nashville studio musicians for the November 1995 recording of 12 Golden Country Greats (1996) which contained only ten tracks. There are two theories regarding the title of the album.[citation needed] The first claim is that it refers to the dozen veteran musicians, known as The Shit Creek Boys, who played on the album. The second claim refers to the fact that the band did indeed record twelve songs during the demo sessions for the album. When it came time to record the actual album, the band chose not to use two of the songs but also decided not to change the album title. The two removed songs were titled "I Got No Darkside" and "So Long, Jerry". "So Long, Jerry," a tribute to the then recently deceased Jerry Garcia, was featured as a B-Side on the "Piss Up a Rope" single. Sticking to Nashville tradition, Freeman and Melchiondo provided only vocals, allowing The Shit Creek Boys to play all the instruments. Elvis Presley's former backing vocal quartet The Jordanaires appeared on the tracks "I'm Holding You" and "Powder Blue."[16]

After a brief return to the original lineup of Freeman, Melchiondo and the DAT machine for a series of dates opening for the Foo Fighters, Ween went on tour with the Shit Creek Boys in October 1996. This lineup performed not only 12 Golden Country Greats material, but also played Ween songs from previous eras with added country instrumentation, including the Pure Guava tracks "Pumpin' 4 the Man" and "Push th' Little Daisies" and the Chocolate and Cheese tracks "What Deaner Was Talkin' About" and "Buenas Tardes Amigo." Parts of the October 23 show at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre would later be released as the album, Live in Toronto Canada (2001).

The nautically-themed album The Mollusk followed in 1997. The album was another eclectic mix of Ween's penchant for satire, deconstruction, and pastiche, including 1960's Brit-pop, sea shanties, Broadway show tunes, and especially progressive rock. Months prior to its release, Freeman would describe the album as "our dark, acid rock record."[17] In 2007, Melchiondo himself named The Mollusk his favorite among Ween's oeuvre.[18] The Mollusk was the album to finally feature studio recordings of "Buckingham Green" and "The Blarney Stone," both of which had been performed regularly in concert for years. Although they did not play on the album, bassist Dave Dreiwitz and keyboardist Glenn McClelland joined the band in April 1997; their debut was a performance of the Mollusk track "The Golden Eel" on an episode of the short-lived MTV show Viva Variety. The lineup of Freeman-Melchiondo-McClelland-Dreiwitz-Coleman would remain the same until Ween's break-up in 2012.

Following the release of the Mollusk, Ween would contribute two songs to two different Trey Parker/Matt Stone projects. The song "Love" would appear in the film Orgazmo in September 1997. The song "The Rainbow," as well as Freeman and Melchiondo themselves, appeared in a season 2 episode of South Park, titled "Chef Aid" in October 1998. It was later released on the compilation Chef Aid: The South Park Album. Parker & Stone would later direct the music video for the White Pepper track "Even If You Don't".

The band's desire to pursue alternate forms of media led to the MP3-only release Craters of the Sac (1999), presented by Melchiondo for online download and free trade. Elektra Records released a live compilation titled Paintin' the Town Brown: Ween Live 1990-1998 in 1999.

White Pepper, Quebec, La Cucaracha and live albums (2000-2007)

Ween performing in Edmonton in 2007

Ween's sixth studio album, White Pepper, was the band's final studio release for Elektra and was released May 2, 2000. The pop-themed, Lennon-McCartney-inspired album produced two singles: "Even If You Don't," which was made into a music video directed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and "Stay Forever." Shortly after the release of White Pepper, Ween started the Internet radio station WeenRadio, which was awarded third best Internet music site by Rolling Stone.[19] In July 2000, Ween performed the White Pepper track "Exactly Where I'm At" on the Late Show with David Letterman.

In November 2000, Ween contributed the song "Loop de Loop" for the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Your Shoe's Untied."[20] SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg had contacted Ween and told them that The Mollusk was one of the show's biggest inspirations. Many future episode of SpongeBob would also contain subtle references to Ween.[21] Additionally, the Mollusk track "Ocean Man" would be featured in the closing credits of The SpongeBob Movie in 2004.[22]

Ween formed their own label in 2001, Chocodog Records, which oversaw the release of several self-produced live sets. Paintin' the Town Brown, which was compiled and mastered by the band, was meant to be the first Chocodog release. According to Melchiondo, once the album was completed, Elektra realized the sales potential of the CD and denied Ween the right to release it through Chocodog. Later, Ween released the first official Chocodog album, Live in Toronto. The limited-pressing CD, available exclusively through the band website, became an instant collector's item. Subsequent Chocodog releases were produced in higher volumes to meet demand.

To celebrate the re-release of the band's debut album GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, Ween returned to the original lineup of Freeman, Melchiondo, and the DAT to perform the album in its entirety on September 15, 2001 at John and Peter's in New Hope. Taping was not permitted at this show; in 2015 Melchiondo described it as "the ultimate unreleased bootleg" but claimed it would someday be released.[23]

On August 7, 2002, Claude Coleman Jr. was seriously injured in a car accident on Route 78 near Newark, New Jersey, suffering a broken back and pelvis. Ween quickly organized a couple of benefit shows at New York City's Bowery Ballroom in October to help cover his medical bills.[24] Ween recruited Vandals drummer Josh Freese to perform at these gigs as well as on the band's next album, Quebec. Coleman would make his comeback in December, backing up Freeman at an acoustic show in Brooklyn. Also in December, Ween would release the three-disc Live at Stubb's, which contained parts of two performances in Austin, Texas from July 2000 during the White Pepper tour.

Ween signed to Sanctuary Records and released Quebec, their first studio release in three years, on August 5, 2003. Quebec was noticeably darker in tone than much of Ween's work; according to Freeman, many of the songs were written as he was going through divorce: “I wrote most of these songs right before the end [of the relationship]. A lot of these songs are about that. Even if it’s not direct, you can feel the beginning of the end of the breakup in these songs.”[25] Melchiondo would add, "I like it as a record, but it's very negative. It's one of our darker records, I think. I don't listen to any of our records, but I have never listened to that one."[26] On September 3, Ween performed the Quebec track "Happy Colored Marbles" on Last Call with Carson Daly.[27]

Later that year, the band held a poll on their official message boards to select songs for the band to play on their forthcoming live-in-studio album All Request Live. Released on November 22, the album would be the first (and only) time Ween would play all five parts of "The Stallion" (Parts 1 & 2 from The Pod, Part 3 from Pure Guava, the un-released Part 4, and Part 5 from Craters of the Sac). The performance also included rarely-played early Ween tracks such as "Pollo Asado," "Mononucleosis" and "Cover it with Gas and Set it in Fire," as well as Ween's rejected Pizza Hut jingle, "Where'd the Cheese Go?".

In 2004, Ween released Live in Chicago, a DVD and CD set that compiled tracks from two live performances from the Quebec tour at Chicago's Vic Theatre in November 2003. After playing the festival circuit in the summer, Ween hit the road for a West Coast tour in October. Following the October 17 show in San Diego, Ween's manager Greg Frey announced that the upcoming Midwest tour would be canceled so Freeman could enter alcohol rehab. In the statement, Frey wrote: "There is a problem within the band, that requires an immediate intervention, for the health, welfare and safety of one of its members. For this member, years of touring have taken their toll."[28] Ween would take a year-long hiatus from touring before hitting the road again in October 2005.

In 2005, Ween hit the studio to record better quality versions of previously-unreleased songs for the compilation Shinola, Vol. 1. The twelve tracks were all, according to Melchiondo, "songs we regretted not putting on other records." The tracks spanned the band's career, from "Tastes Good on th' Bun," a Pod outtake, to "Someday," a Quebec outtake. Different versions of three of the songs, "Big Fat Fuck," "How High Can You Fly?" and "Monique the Freak" had previously appeared on Craters of the Sac. Melchiondo would later comment, "We called it Volume 1, but I don't know if I want to go through that again anytime soon."[29]

In February 2006, Ween rented an old farmhouse and converted it into a working studio. After writing over 50 songs and recording rough versions through 2006, they picked through them and, with Andrew Weiss as producer, re-recorded album versions for what would become The Friends EP and the full-length La Cucaracha which was released October 23, 2007 on Rounder Records. La Cucaracha, which would prove to be Ween's final album, would later be called a "big piece of shit" by Freeman, adding, "I think the songs on it were good, or a bunch of songs, but overall that was a big clue Mickey and I were finito."[30]

Focus on non-Ween projects, Vancouver meltdown and Break-up (2008-2012)

Ween performing at the Outside Lands Music Festival in 2009

On September 21, 2008, Melchiondo announced on the official Ween website that they planned to release a CD-DVD combo before Christmas of that year. He stated, "This time we’re going to be going all the way back to the days when we were still a duo with a cassette deck in the early 90’s. It’s probably the brownest CD on the Chocodog label yet." That CD was titled At the Cat's Cradle and was recorded live at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina on December 9, 1992. The package also included a DVD featuring some video of performances from the same era.[31]

Although Freeman had occasionally played solo acoustic shows before 2008, he turned his focus towards these shows--billed as "Gene Ween"--following the La Cucaracha tour. On top of that, in December of 2008 he began performing with "The Gene Ween Band," which featured Dreiwitz on bass along with Joe Russo on drums and Scott Metzger on guitar. The set-lists of these shows featured more obscure Ween songs rarely played at Ween shows, a few covers, as well as numerous Freeman-penned songs being performed for the first time. Freeman would perform dozens of shows both solo and with the Gene Ween Band from 2008-2011. His first solo record, Marvelous Clouds, an album of Rod McKuen covers, would be released three weeks before Ween's break-up.[32]

While Freeman was working on non-Ween musical projects, Melchiondo turned his focus to fishing. Melchiondo, who spent a lot of time in his youth at his parents' beach house in Beach Haven, New Jersey, became a licensed fishing boat captain and hosted a web series, "Brownie Troop Fishing Show," from 2008-2011. As of 2015 he still offers trips on his website, "Mickey's Guide Service," running them out of New Hope as well as Belmar, NJ. In 2013, it was announced that Trey Parker and Matt Stone would be producing a pilot for a reality television show about fishing, starring Melchiondo and Les Claypool.[33]

On February 3, 2010, Ween released a new song, "DC Won't Do You No Good," that became available through a Target Cancer website. On July 28, 2010, the National Post featured an article with an interview with Melchiondo, in which it was stated that the band is due in the studio this winter to start work on its twelfth album.

Ween embarked on a brief West Coast tour at the beginning of 2011. The first show of the tour, January 24 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, was a turning point in Ween's history. It was noticeable from the start that something was off with Freeman, who played the tambourine off-beat on the first song, "Fiesta." His vocals were off-key throughout the night and he appeared to be heavily intoxicated. Eventually, Freeman would lie down on stage while the rest of the band played an instrumental, jam version of the Carpenters song "Superstar". As Freeman began tuning his guitar in preparation for "Birthday Boy," Melchiondo and Dreiwitz walked off the stage, while Coleman and McClelland switched instruments. After "Birthday Boy" was finished, Coleman and McClelland left Freeman to play the final four songs solo by himself and horribly off-key.[34] Despite this disaster, the band performed in Portland the following night with no issues. Freeman would write a song about the Vancouver incident, "Covert Discretion," which would appear as the opening track to his new band Freeman's self-titled debut album in 2014. That same year, he would comment: "You don't blow it on stage, lying on your back, screaming nonsense in front of 5,000 people and not try to change something. Chances are when you're doing something like that, you've got to do something differently."[35]

On August 11, 2011, Melchiondo quietly released a MP3-only collection of songs called The Caesar Demos, named after the band's original working title for Quebec, to friends on his Facebook page. In his comment, he stated the songs were all recorded between 2001 and 2003 while Claude Coleman was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident, and that many of the tracks featured only himself and Freeman. In addition to a handful of tracks that eventually made Quebec, Caesar Demos would also feature several previously unreleased tracks.[36][37] Freeman was not happy with Melchiondo's decision to release Caesar Demos without consulting him. Posting on the band's official message boards under the handle "Taer," Freeman commented: "The Caesar demo release was the straw that broke the camels back. Nobody asked Gener before releasing...Deaner broke the golden rule. the Boognish wept that day."[38]

Freeman announced to Rolling Stone on May 29, 2012 that he was "retiring Gene Ween,"[39] and a few days later, Ween's manager, Greg Frey, told fans on Facebook that Freeman had decided to "end his musical relationship with Ween," in order to "more fully explore and pursue his solo career".[40] Melchiondo appeared to be unaware of this, stating on his Facebook page "This is news to me, all I can say for now I guess."[41] On July 20, Melchiondo addressed the supposed "break-up" and stated "I can only speak for myself, but as far as I’m concerned, as long as Aaron and I are both alive on this planet, Ween is still together. We’ve never broken up. The idea of quitting is just laughable. This isn’t something you can quit. This is a life sentence."[42]

Later, Freeman confirmed his departure from Ween was triggered by his desire to remain sober, saying "All that matters to me is that I’m getting sober. Becoming an out of control drug addict and alcoholic is my own fault and I take responsibility for it. I HAD to leave the Ween organization to stay sober."[43]

Although no one knew it at the time, Ween's final performances were a three-night run at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium December 29-31, 2011, with "The Blarney Stone" being the final song ever performed by the band.[44] Melchiondo would quickly re-form Moistboyz, which had been on a six-year hiatus, as well as start a new band, "The Dean Ween Group". Freeman would play solo shows until 2014, when he began touring and recording with his new band, "Freeman."

Style and influences

Melchiondo once stated, "Each of us had different things in our record collections that the other one didn't have. Aaron's dad had a lot of psychedelic records, I was really into punk rock, and we would just turn each other on to music."[45] Freeman remarked in 2011, "I think when Ween formed I was really into the synthesizer New Wave thing of the mid-'80s and Mickey was more into the punk rock thing."[46]

Both Freeman and Melchiondo have stated several times that one of the band's biggest influences was Prince. The GodWeenSatan track "L.M.L.Y.P." borrows lyrics from two Prince songs, "Alphabet St." and "Shockadelica." Additionally, Ween has jammed on Prince's "Kiss," frequently placing it in the middle of "Voodoo Lady" during live performances. Other Prince songs covered in concert by Ween include "1999," "Housequake," and "Purple Rain".[47] In 2012, Melchiondo remarked on his website that "by far, hands down the greatest living guitarist in any genre is Prince Rogers Nelson. Prince does so many things well that it’s easy to forget that he is also a world class shredder."[48]

Other stated influences include The Beatles,[49] Parliament-Funkadelic,[50] the Butthole Surfers,[51] Pink Floyd,[52] the Dead Kennedys,[53] Laurie Anderson,[54] The Allman Brothers Band,[55] James Brown,[56] Devo,[57] and Earth, Wind and Fire.[58] In concert, Ween has frequently covered songs by David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Motörhead, Van Halen, The Doors, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Joel.[59]

Because of Ween's wide variety of styles and humorous lyrics, they have often been compared to Frank Zappa. Both members have denied Zappa's influence, and in a 2011 interview Freeman stated that although he was influenced by The Mothers of Invention, he was never a fan of Zappa's post-Mothers work.[60] Freeman did perform the Mothers-era Zappa song "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?" at the Frank Zappa Day Festival in Baltimore in September 2011.[61]

Themes and mythology

From Ween's earliest days, they claimed to be "sprouted from the demon-god Boognish." The image of the Boognish is the band's logo. Boognish is also featured in the lyrics of several Ween songs, including "Up on th' Hill," "Pass the Bong," and "Sketches of Winkle." An upcoming Ween documentary titled Boognish Rising, directed by filmmaker Chris Buly, is due for release in late 2015/early 2016.[62]

Ween and its fans often use the word "brown" to describe songs or performances that are "fucked up, in a good way."[63] The word "brown" is also featured in the lyrics of the songs "Mutilated Lips" and "Chocolate Town," the title of the band's live album Paintin' the Town Brown, and the title of the song "Try Not to Be Brown." Another commonly used word is "waste" ("Can U Taste the Waste?," "Tender Situation," and "Freedom of '76").

The band's lyrics also commonly contain references to the band's members, frequent collaborators and friends, including Freeman ("I Saw Gener Cryin' In His Sleep," "Up on th' Hill," and "Puffy Cloud"), Melchiondo ("What Deaner Was Talkin' About," "Puffy Cloud," "The Stallion, pt. 2" and "Leave Deaner Alone"), Williams ("Booze Me Up and Get Me High" and "Sketches of Winkle"), Weiss ("Pass the Bong" and "Booze Me Up and Get Me High"), Coleman ("Wavin' My Dick in the Wind") and Larry "Eddie Dingle" Curtin ("Nan," "Laura," "Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese" and "Molly").

Ween has also been known for countless references to food, most notably the New Jersey/Pennsylvania regional favorite pork roll, found in the lyrics to four Pod tracks: "Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese," "Frank," "Awesome Sound," and "She Fucks Me." The Pod track "Pollo Asado" features Freeman giving a rendition of a conversation he had with a customer while he worked at New Hope's El Taco Loco. The liner notes of GodWeenSatan: The Oneness instructed Ween fans to bring food for the band to their concerts.

Members

Worked with

Discography

Studio albums

Year Title Label
1990 GodWeenSatan: The Oneness Twin/Tone, reissued 2001 Restless
1991 The Pod Shimmy Disc, reissued 1995 Elektra
1992 Pure Guava Elektra
1994 Chocolate and Cheese Elektra
1996 12 Golden Country Greats Elektra
1997 The Mollusk Elektra
1999 Craters of the Sac online only MP3 release
2000 White Pepper Elektra
2003 Quebec Sanctuary
2005 Shinola, Vol. 1 Chocodog
2007 La Cucaracha Rounder Records

Live albums

Year Title Label
1999 Paintin' the Town Brown: Ween Live 1990–1998 Elektra
2001 Live In Toronto Canada Chocodog/Schnitzel Records Ltd.
2002 Live at Stubb's 7/2000 Chocodog
2003 All Request Live Chocodog
2004 Live in Chicago Sanctuary
2008 At The Cat's Cradle, 1992 Chocodog/Schnitzel Records Ltd.

EPs

Year Title Label
1992 Sky Cruiser EP White Records
1994 I Can't Put My Finger On It EP Elektra Records
1994 Freedom of '76 EP Flying Nun Records
1994 Voodoo Lady EP Flying Nun Records
1996 Piss Up a Rope/You Were the Fool EP Flying Nun Records
2000 Stay Forever Promo EP Mushroom Records
2000 Stay Forever Red Vinyl EP Mushroom Records
2007 The Friends EP CD and limited edition picture disc 12" Chocodog//Schnitzel Records Ltd.

Early independent releases

Year Title
1985 Mrs. Slack
1986 The Crucial Squeegie Lip
1987 Axis: Bold as Boognish
1987 Erica Peterson's Flaming Crib Death
1988 The Live Brain Wedgie/WAD
1989 Prime 5

List of notable demo tapes

Year Title
1990 The Pod Demos (The Bilboa and Big Timmy Wasserman Tape and Bilboa)
1990 Pandy Fackler
1991 Pure Guava Demos
1992 Chocolate & Cheese Taster – Demos Summer 1992
1994 12 Golden Country Greats Demos
1995 Mollusk Sessions (Released 2007)
1997 White Pepper Demos
2001–2003 The Caesar Demos (Released 2011)

Singles

Year Title US Alt. AUS UK Singles[64] Album
1992 "I'm Fat" - - - Non album single
"Push th' Little Daisies" 21 18 - Pure Guava
"Sky Cruiser" - - - Non album single
1994 "I Can't Put My Finger on It" - - - Chocolate and Cheese
"Freedom of '76'" - - 152
"Voodoo Lady" 32 - 122
1996 "Piss Up a Rope/You Were the Fool" - - 116 12 Golden Country Greats
1997 "Mutilated Lips" - - - The Mollusk
"Ocean Man" - - -
2000 "Even If You Don't" - - 135 White Pepper
"Stay Forever " - - 138
2003 "Tried and True/Mountains and Buffalo" - - - Quebec
2005 "Monique the Freak" - - - Shinola, Vol. 1
"Gabrielle" - - -
2010 "DC Won't Do You No Good" - - - Non album single

Music videos

  • "Push th' Little Daisies"[65]
  • "Freedom of '76"
  • "I Can't Put My Finger on It"
  • "Roses Are Free"
  • "Voodoo Lady"
  • "Even if You Don't"
  • "Transdermal Celebration"

Appearances

Year Title Label
1993 En Esch - Cheesy TVT Records
1993 Freedom of '76: The Jane Pratt Show Lifetime Entertainment
1994 Frente! - Lonely Mushroom Records
1994 A Merry Little Christmas : A Holiday Sampler from Elektra & EastWest Elektra/EastWest
1995 Kostars - Klassics With a K Grand Royal
1995 Used & Recorded by 3RRR Vol.2 Radio Release
1996 Beautiful Girls Miramax / Elektra
1996 Ben Vaughn - Instrumental Stylings Bar None Records
1996 Yoko Ono-Rising Mixes Capitol Records
1996 Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks Atlantic Records
1997 Wah² German TV Show
1998 Hub - Hub SLASH RECORDS
1998 Chef Aid: The South Park Album Columbia
1998 The X-Files: The Album WEA
1998 Magna Plasm: Volcom Stone Surf Movie Veeco Productions
2002 Run Ronnie Run soundtrack New Line Productions Inc.
2002 Morvern Callar Warp Records
2000 SpongeBob SquarePants (Season 2, Episode 1 "Your Shoes United) Sire/London/Rhino
2004 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie – Music from the Movie and More... Sire/London/Rhino
2008 Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 3 N/A
2009 G.N.A.R (ski film) N/A

References

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  3. ^ "Ween FAQ". Ween.net.
  4. ^ Shteamer, Hank (November 29, 2007). "Laughs Last". Time Out New York. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
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  65. ^ "Ween Free Music Videos". MTV. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
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