The ongoing problems between the members of Ween escalated as the two now-former members Gene Ween (ie Aaron Freeman) and Dean Ween (ie Michael “Mickey” Melchiondo Jr) traded jabs at each other on the band’s official message board.
Freeman originally announced the band’s demise this past May. But Melchiondo Jr. issued a statement of his own:
I’m going to make one statement and one statement only about this business, because our dirty laundry has no place in the public eye.
All I want is to go about my life and not be judged in public by Aaron or his wife, who honestly I really don’t know at all. We’ve spoken for a combined total of about 40 minutes in the 8 or 9 years they’ve been together. Why she reads my website confounds me. Aaron made a decision to retire Gene Ween and that was his decision and this is a free country. I support his sobriety and his health and hope that he makes the greatest solo album of all-time someday, and that’s not just words, that is the honest to god truth. It would actually bring vindication to his decision to leave the band that we worked so hard to perfect. I’m not a spiteful person and what Aaron and I created together was something so special that everyone that was even close to it for even one evening was affected forever. Nothing can ever change that. She was not around during the years that Aaron and I were hanging out together socially every day and night and growing up together, we were brothers in the truest sense of the word and I’m assuming she thinks that we were always dysfunctional and things were always tense and unhappy. We did a lot of partying together but to insinuate that all our time spent together involved drugs and booze is ridiculous, our output speaks for itself. You don’t write that many songs and enjoy the level of success and quality music we made by being total fuck ups. My only connection to WEEN as of 9/28/2012 is our history, and the word “deaner” in askdeaner.com If it takes for me to change the url to askmiggy.com then I will do that. Leave well enough alone. Every journalist that I’ve spoken to has asked me about Aaron’s personal affairs for years and not once have I thrown him under the bus or even been tempted to do so, that is classless. That is ALL that I ask. Based on the past, you will find a way to spin the most innocuous statements that I make into something with poor intentions or cruel, thoughtless, whatever other words you use. I’m sure this time will be no different. Having to type this here is flat out embarrassing for me and I resent that fact that you’ve made me do it. I’m not gonna just sit here and be kicked anymore though. And that’s it.
Following this post, Freeman issued a few rebuttals on the band’s message board:
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. You may not understand that, and expounding is pointless, but its the reality. How I left was impulsive. If I could do it over, I would have done it differently. My family and I are healing. The only thing I took offense too was Mickeys public remark about his excessive alcohol consumption, in my eyes it was disrespectful. Also, my wife does not read Mickeys blog. Ive read it to her. She had the rare treat of coming into a relationship where her husband was being rushed around by paramedics, falling down steps, cracking his skull, OD’ing etc. She’s been the one who’s held my hand through horrendous withdrawls, while still managing to keep our family together. Mickey and I have been business partners for years, but not social at all since the “early Ween years”. Our relationship and communication with each other, was what it was, long before I met my wife. But in the end, none of this matters. I have absolutely no doubt anything Mickey puts his hands on will rock. I wish the best for us both. I have nothing but good feelings about what Mickey and I did with Ween. Now enough of this shite, back to the music!
Guys, I play in bars, my wife keeps a bottle of wine in the fridge. I actually hope people who can drink, do so at my shows as it loosens everything up. Sobering up means accepting that everyone has there own deal. Mickey offended me on a different level, one that only he and and I could understand. The last few years were consistent with me playing my shows, having to isolate in a seperate room so the rest of the band could pass around the bottle of Jamison etc. etc. Party down but don’t let Gener see. What would wind up happening is I’d undoubtably blow it and relapse. Ween turned into a hard rockin, hard playin machine and ain’t nothin gonna change. I remember going to a rehab once, going to my first Ween practice at Claude’s and within 5 minutes they’re all asking each other if they’d like to crack into some dos equis.
I cant realistically change the rock mode these guys need to be in but…
I can’t be one of those guys either.I’m not over sensitive, I say if you can do it, shoot smack, drink as much beer and whiskey as you want…its non of my business and I don’t judge. But In a band the urge to drink with your mates is ingrained. it is very different being cool with your friend having a brew. Live and let live brothers and sisters.
I’ll tell ya, it’s a remote possibility down the line but right now as I’m laying low, we know everything about Mickey except what kind of toilet paper he uses. It all seems very A team vs. B-team and honestly I was never into team sports. Ween was founded on the premis of alienation torward the masses, showing them the true meaning of Brown and being held accountable to nothing but the Boognish. It was/had turned into some Umphries McGee bullshit and I love Ween too much to see that happen. Lets see where the road takes us but for now a good healthy break is needed to get some priorities straight. Believe it or not, I’m the biggest Ween out of all’yall.
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