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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Let's Talk About... Can Someone Please Explain Ween to Me?

Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 11:09 AM

I'll be the first to admit I don't have the slightest clue why the band Ween (or Gene Ween as a solo artist) is popular. Can someone help?

Is it the hippies? The "So Long Jerry" (as in Jerry Garcia, or Jerr-Bear, or "Captain Fucking Trips") video from above might be proof of that. Or is it some weird cult status that started with "Push Th' Little Daisies" and has followed them ever since?

The only Ween material I am familiar with was their mid-'90s push—Pure Guava, Chocolate & Cheese, 12 Golden Country Greats—but none of those records had any lasting impact on me whatsoever. (Especially the sort of impact that would justify how a band like this can sell out the Crystal Ballroom with ease—or in the case of tonight's Gene Ween solo show, the Doug Fir.)

Anyone?

 

Comments (11) RSS

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1
"white pepper" is an AMAZING album. they albely jump between genres like hopscotch. seriously. get it. fucking incredible pop. i dare you not to get "even if you don't" stuck in your head. "the mollusk" album is almost as good. "baby bitch" for a long time (when i was young and dumber) i thought could've been elliot smith. seriously.

live they are a workhorse band. the backing players are all pros. they play for hours, serious moneys-worth type shit. very talented and giving.
Posted by workingclassdog on June 18, 2009 at 12:38 PM · Report
2
ALSO WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH AIRLINE FOOD

BUT FOR YOUR QUESTION MAYBE I CAN HELP;; YOU SEE EZRA DIFFERENT PEOPLE LIKE DIFFERENT MUSIC, IT IS LIKE HOW SOME PEOPLE DONT LIKE MAYONNAISE (ME) HOPE THIS HELPS
Posted by terrible blog post devoid of any worth on June 18, 2009 at 12:52 PM · Report
3
Thank you, Andrew.

No thank you, "terrible blog post devoid of any worth." I seem to be as unfamiliar with this band as you are with your CAPS LOCK key.
Posted by ezra on June 18, 2009 at 1:03 PM · Report
4
they're weird and they write great pop songs. that's what it comes down to for me. some of their pre-chocolate & cheese stuff is a little too inside jokey and non-songy for me, but the mollusk and white pepper are two of my all time favorite albums. they're packed with great original pop songwriting. the first three songs on white pepper rival anything the beatles ever recorded, IMO.

every album has it gems though. i really advise you to take a closer listen! i didn't get into them until about three years ago and i cursed myself for not having done so much sooner.
Posted by alex arrowsmith on June 18, 2009 at 1:49 PM · Report
5
Thanks Alex. I'll check out "White Pepper" since that seems to be the consensus pick.
Posted by ezra on June 18, 2009 at 2:24 PM · Report
6
Are Cake fans and Ween fans the same people? Because in my head they are, and I'm pretty sure that would explain everything.
Posted by Rob on June 18, 2009 at 2:48 PM · Report
7
I hate this post, because it means there is one thing in this world that I agree with EZ on.
Posted by blah on June 18, 2009 at 4:43 PM · Report
8
i know a good deal of ween fans and they all dislike cake. nice try though, rob.
Posted by bp baggins on June 18, 2009 at 6:04 PM · Report
9
although i wouldn't say i'm a fan of either band.
Posted by bp baggins on June 18, 2009 at 6:04 PM · Report
10
Ween has 9 out of the 10 things every truly transcendent rock band needs:

* Blazing hot rock songs you can thrash around to
* Sweet love songs with heart
* Fun songs with good humor
* Weirdness for the sake of creativity, not just weirdness
* Virtuosic guitar playing that isn't wanky (well, rarely)
* Their sound is self-produced (and brilliantly, at that)
* Faces only a mother could love
* They don't give a fuck what anybody thinks
* They have absolutely nothing in common with Cake

Beyond that, all I can say is that, being really familiar with Ween, It never ceases to amaze me the way-off impression of them people get when they have only seen one or two of the many sides of Ween. Their catalog is seriously massive, and you know.. they can't ALL be winners.

The synth work on The Mollusk is pretty epic on headphones.

Posted by Carls on June 18, 2009 at 8:25 PM · Report
11
ween is awful.
Posted by toughwheels on June 19, 2009 at 11:18 AM · Report

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