In 1995, the second-best band of all time, Ween, recorded one of their most inspired records, 12 Golden Country Greats. Recorded in Nashville with (mainly long-retired) country musicians, they decided to tour, playing the songs from the album. Their show at The Phoenix in Toronto, Canada, was recorded on cassette by their soundman. Now, that recording is being released by Schnitzel Records, and we’re very happy about that. So we pestered Mickey Melchiondo (aka Dean Ween) until he agreed to talk to us about it…

What inspired you to make a country record?

The producer (Ben Vaughn) brought up the idea, as he had been producing some records in Nashville at the time. He knew I grew up listening to old-school country music. He told us all you had to do to get these legendary players was call them on the phone, because they weren’t getting a lot of work with all the ‘new country’ music coming out of Nashville. So he called Charlie McCoy, and Charlie handpicked the musicians. They were just about the easiest people I’ve ever worked with. I remember buying beer on the first day and offering it to the band and I was pleasantly surprised when most of them said “sure”, and started drinking it.

Why did you have problems getting them for a live tour?

Most of the guys had long-since retired from touring. Originally, we were only going to play one show, in New York City, to support the album, but that show was so successful we decided to take it on the road for a few weeks. The piano player on the sessions (Bobby Ogdin) handpicked
a great Nashville band for the road.

What was the experience of playing with that band like?

The band had such a huge sound and my guitar-playing wasn’t really the primary focus for once, and I liked that. In Kansas, I went for this move where I swung my Stratocaster around and I caught Stu Basore (the pedal steel player) square in the face and pretty much knocked him out. I mean, this guy is, like, in his 60s, and he’s staggering around with blood gushing from his face and the crowd was going wild. We stopped the show and that was how it ended, right in the middle of a tune. The next night I turned around and there he is wearing a hockey mask. Really funny shit. We ended up becoming friends for life and he did a lot of playing on our album White Pepper four years later.

How did the new boys feel about playing songs with names like ‘The HIV Song’ and ‘Spinal Meningitis’?

All these guys have done and seen everything. Two dudes from Pennsylvania weren’t going to faze them – they’d been shot at on tour buses by George Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis, so we were pretty normal by comparison, I imagine. I mean, Bobby Ogdin played with Elvis Presley – God only knows some of the shit he was witness to, but you really have to press him for information about the King, and he still won’t reveal too much.

What was life on the road like?

They were so used to playing in the conservative atmosphere of a live country show that the Ween fans and concerts really blew their minds. It only took them a few days to realise what it was gonna be like, and by then we had bottles of whiskey onstage and the whole band would be drinking during the show. We play really long concerts and it was just
a super-relaxed atmosphere.

Do you ever need to leave the stage to have a wee? Did some of the older musicians feel the strain?

The guys in our band, including Aaron [aka Gene], are always leaving to piss, but I never do. That’s because they’re pussies and not as mentally strong as I am.

What is life on the road like for Ween?

It has definitely mellowed over the years, but the first 10 or 15 years were totally indulgent and excessive all the time. Our fans are rabid and will suck your soul dry if you let them, and we have always been glad to oblige them.

How much pot do you get thrown onstage in an average night?

We get a pretty good amount of drugs thrown onstage, but you have to pay close attention because the crew will take it for themselves if you’re not paying attention.

Are you as big a band of stoners as people think? Do you get fed up with that tag?

We used to smoke all the time, but we’re not into it so much any more. I know a lot of people that smoke 24/7, and it would be disrespectful to them to call ourselves stoners.

We saw the fishing-trip photos on your website. Are you going to be putting more of them up soon?

Have you ever thought about hosting your own fishing show on TV? You could call it Ocean Man. You can have that name for free. I love that idea. That sounds a lot better than having to sit in clubs every night and hear people tell you boring anecdotes about the first time they heard your record, or that concert they saw back in 93, which we don’t remember.

When are you coming back to the UK?

If I never had to tour overseas ever again, that would be totally fine by me. It’s bad enough to have to sit in a hotel room in the middle of Iowa, where at least a dollar is worth a dollar and you can take care of your own transportation and food. Being overseas always makes me wanna kill myself. The band has come close to breaking up after each and every European tour we’ve ever done, going all the way back to 1990.

Oh. OK. Tell me a secret about Ween.

We have no idea what we’re doing and we are still waiting for people to figure that out.