The two “safety records” that Dean Ween can always count on
Mickey Melchiondo might go by a variety of names, including Deaner, Mickey Moist and most famously, Dean Ween. But regardless of what moniker he is presently known by, one thing is readily clear: his skill as a musician is up there with the very best. The Pennsylvania native has an extensive and celebrated oeuvre as the lead guitarist and one-half of alternative rock legends Ween, alongside faux brother Gene Ween. In addition, he has developed a solid reputation as a respected solo artist.
Notably, Dean is one of the most prominent proponents of the Fender Stratocaster, with his affinity for the instrument starting when his father bought him his first Squier model when he was young. Since that significant moment, he has continued to push his artistry to its boundaries and weaponised his unrelenting individualism.
Over Ween’s long career, the pair established a kaleidoscopic sound that has seen them touch on the genres of prog, country, psychedelia, metal and stadium rock at different points. In addition to their immunity to being pigeonholed, all of their work is underpinned by a surreal form of comedy, a sort of Generation X answer to Frank Zappa. Broadly speaking, much of Ween’s output can be attributed to Dean Ween. He is the band’s main driving force, cultivating their twisted sounds out of his shack in rural Pennsylvania.
As his work is essentially indefinable, since Ween burst onto the scene, fans have sought to understand Dean’s favourite music as a way of understanding him as a person. In 2016, when speaking to 1Artist1Album, he shocked many when he revealed that his favourite album of all time is Sly & The Family Stone’s 1971 LP, There’s a Riot Goin’ On.
Despite being his favourite, the psychedelic funk masterpiece only accounts for a section of Dean’s artistry. However, during a 2018 chat with Dangerous Minds, he offered fans some more knowledge when he disclosed the identities of his “safety records”. These are the albums he can play for anyone who visits his home, from his parents to his wife’s friends. Somewhat surprisingly, they’re compilations from veterans Roy Orbison and Ray Charles.
Asked to name a record that sounds great blasted from a front porch, Dean replied: “Oh man, I don’t have a front porch! My go-to thing, I have two or three ‘safety records’ for when people come over, like my in-laws, my folks, older people, my friends, my wife’s friends. Diverse group of people, you know? And my two go-to things that I know everyone’s gonna like are Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits—it’s a total safe record—and The Genius of Ray Charles. If you complain about either one of those records, you’re just an ass.”
