Ween's Chocolate and Cheese

33⅓ Main Series #79

by Hank Shteamer

Ween now seems like a permanent fixture on the pop-cultural landscape, but when the band first hit MTV in the early '90s, their longevity wasn't so secure. Nearly two decades on, though, Aaron "Gene Ween" Freeman and Mickey "Dean Ween" Melchiondo preside over one of the most devoted cult fan bases in American music. So how exactly did Ween manage to transcend joke-band oblivion?

One answer is that, in the years following their MTV breakthrough, Ween gradually polished their output, turning their staunchly primitive musical sketches into hi-fi paintings. Chocolate and Cheese, released in 1994, marked Freeman and Melchiondo's first crucial steps in this direction. Based on new, in-depth interviews with both members of Ween, as well as producer Andrew Weiss and associates ranging from Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) to Spike Jonze, this book explores the song-by-song creation of Chocolate and Cheese and how the album served as a bridge between Ween's original two-guys-and-a-4-track incarnation and the rich, virtuosic rock & roll force they would later become.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2011

Reviews

[Rjyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well its short & Hank doesn't get too much in the way of his subject matter so its probably worth reading if you have any curiousity about Ween. But damn, dude has a grade school book report style that makes parts of the prose-- particulary chapter starts-- lousy with useless & redundant declarations like "I am going to show you how Ween's rise was both gradual & subtle" and "We have seen how Ween's rise was both subtle & gradual" etc.

I coulda dealt with a lot more technical details, too-- despite the fact that the author is revealed to be in a band (based in Brooklyn but still) he either has no hangers to get his subjects to talk about any of the finer details about how they achieved their super unique sound, or is hoarding that info to himself. In his descriptions of their recording process, aside from a few quick gimmicky anecdotes (Gener yelled in a car trunk on one part) there's little more than an explanation of the difference between analog & digital recording aimed at grandmas or doofuses.

[Ben Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reaffirmed why Ween is my favorite band, and gave me a new, deeper appreciation for what was already a stellar record (still can't believe they got a major-label deal, though). Sure, the writing style leaves a little to be desired, but I didn't come here for mindblowing prose. There are plenty of details and anecdotes I'd never heard even as an obsessive fan, and Mickey and Aaron's joy and exuberance shine through the thick crust of brown on every page. If you can read this without smiling every few pages, you're dead inside.

Take a wrinkled raisin and do with it what you will
Push it into third if you know you're gonna climb the hill
Eat plenty of lasagna till you know that you've had your fill
Resist all the urges that make you want to go out and kill
~Ween, "Roses Are Free", 1994

Well, listen, everything's weird. You tell me something that's not weird.
~Bob Dylan, Guitar World interview, 1999

[Jeremy Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the album, and I love seeing a 33 1/3 on Ween - but I wish it didn’t read like a high school kid copying the wiki page.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often find that my favorite albums from my favorite bands are those that bridge a gap between eras of a band's music. Chocolate and Cheese is a perfect example. It's the exact right blend of BROWN, more professional production, and improved song writing and musicianship. I enjoyed the snippets discussed in this book and the context provided about how Ween was able to evolve their sound while retaining the weirdness that originally made them popular. I need to read more 33 1/3 books.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea how I ended up reading a book about Ween and actually enjoying it, but here we are.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I'm not a Ween fan, not even in the slightest bit. But, having read this book, I though Mr. Shteamer did a successful job of highlighting the bands hi-jinx, while also portraying them as hard-working musicians. Reading the book was easy, and well organized, though I'm still not super excited by the song by song explanation (at least here it wasn't about the time signatures, etc). This was definitely one of the better books in the series, and that surprised me as I have little to no interest in this band, until now. I'm off to listen to Ween.

[Diana Welsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting short read about the making of Ween's most famous album. I wish they had one of these about every Ween album! Sometimes the book-report style of it got old, but overall very well-researched and lots of good trivia. As someone who is obsessed with Ween's music but knew almost nothing about them as a band, I recommend it.

[Marius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a lot with the 150-ish pages of this book. It covers all aspects of the album: the production, every single song on the album, the cover art and even the included pictures. The writer has interviewed Deaner, Gener, Claude and many other people associated with this album and they get to say their word about every aspect discussed. The best parts of this book are when the writer lets them tell the story directly. The author particularly does a good job in discussing the important place of this album in the evolution of Ween as a band as well.

The writing style however, is a bit simple. It serves it purpose, but doesn’t do anything more. The author is also quite negative of Ween’s earlier work. I’m not a big fan of the pod or pure guava, but I do think they deserve more credit than given in this book.

In conclusion, by reading this book I have gotten even more respect for Ween and the album. The book shines when Deaner or Gener get to discuss their inspirations and ideas behind the album directly. I recommend it to people who, like me, love Ween and love this album.

[Lorena lg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues están medio repetitivas algunas partes (sobre todo al inicio sobre hablaban de la producción) pero pues ya llevaba bastante escuchando ween y no sabía mucho sobre ellos o sus influencias, inspiraciones, etc entonces darse una idea de cómo fueron evolucionando y creciendo así como haciéndose más profesionales y “polished” desde pure guava y the pod hasta chocolate and cheese y white pepper estuvo bonito, también me gustó que dieran contexto a todos los tracks de chocolate and cheese (porque a pesar de que me gusta mucho ese álbum nunca aprecié todas las canciones como se debe) y sus videos musicales, incluyendo entrevistas y anécdotas de los integrantes, la verdad es que me gusta que hayan empezado siendo una banda outsider pero de alguna manera ahora puedan hacer feliz a tanta gente con toda la variedad de cosas que hacen :-) y pues ahora sé más de su discografía (que sigo explorando)

[Bicho · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the making of one of my favorite albums by my favorite band. there's a couple of good anecdotes and some insights about the transition from the "two guys screaming to a tape recorder" era to (probably) "the best live band on earth". some technical info too about their struggles going from analog to digital recording.

Wishing for a 33/3 focused on "The Mollusk" but until then, this'll have to do:
Ween’s The Mollusk Turns 20: An Oral History By Mickey Melchiondo

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son loaned me this book, & I clearly remember him getting into Ween back then, & playing me this album. Enjoyably, this is more than a simple album review. Packed into its modest 152 (small) pages is a pretty thorough Ween biog, including an exploration of all their albums, before & since. I can't profess myself to be a Ween 'fan' (I did love Push The Little Daisies, the band's extremely weird MTV debut) but found their story to be worth the few days it took to read. I expect actual fans, like my son, will love this.

[Adam W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of TMI. Some great anecdotes strewn throughout, but overall forgettable enough to not let the overanalysis ruin a long-form discographical joke. Yet the irony is that Ween puts a lot of thought into their music which, on average, comes across as purely spontaneous.
Read for the anecdotes; skim through the rest. Though I can't knock the passion of a literary Ween fan who put so much effort into this essentially really long essay. So, respect where it's due.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 I read this book because I tend to enjoy the entries in the 33 adn 1/3 series and my husband is a huge Ween fan so I've heard this album many times, but this was definitely not one of my favorites. It read like a poorly written thesis, very little joy or emotion related to the author's love of this band and it's work.

[Matt Spade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing 33 1/3 book on an amazing album. Shrteamer breaks the book down into sections defining Ween pre-album and how Chocolate and Cheese is the bridge between the 4-track brown sound era Ween and what was to follow.
The section where he covers the songs made me want to listen to the album again, and I will!

[Ryan Hasani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve owned this book for far too long to have just read it now but holy shit. I cranked it out in preparation for An Evening with Ween in Chicago next weekend, and this book just reminded me once again why this band will always be my favorite band of all time. My only demerit is that there isn’t one of these for each album!

[Jon Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the 33 1/3 books I've read (about ten or so), this was one of the best. Great structure and analysis. But it never forgets that, well, this is Ween, so it allows for fun along the way. I just want to add how much I appreciate a book that sincerely attempts a critical analysis of songs like "Mister, Won't You Please Help My Pony?"

[Curmudgeon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a particularly well-written book from a stylistic point of view--it comes off more like a freshman paper than anything else--but it's full of tons of interviews with Ween and others involved with the making of the album, which makes it a fun read.

[Paige Compositor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to have if you're a fan of brown, but hardly the strongest in the 33 1/3 series. And really, you could find prose and info about the band online that match its quality. However, it has enough cheese to sink your teeth into to justify a read. Especially with its song dissection.

[Gord Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a real pleasant, easy read about a good album. Pure Guava is still better, but C&C is a classic bridge album, and the book does it right. Reading about the background screams in "Candi" was tight I suppose. I wish the boys would come back to Vancouver. 4/5

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big Ween fan and Chocolate and Cheese isn’t one of my favorite albums by them but this book was well written. I learned a lot about the band and appreciated the deep dives into the making of Chocolate and Cheese.

[Ryan Schellenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dry at the beginning and the end. This book really shines in the middle section, going over the iconic album track by track, including many lengthy, and hilarious direct quotes from the band. This book was a much needed palate cleanser for me!

[Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing new here for the die hard fans, but it made for a great read about an album that defined the late 90s for me. Ween is the best American rock and roll band of all time (see “Baby Bitch” for further evidence).

“Smile on mighty Jesus…”

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting primer on Ween. I'd love to read a biography of these guys that goes further in depth, because this is a story that desperately needs telling, but this is a fine starting guide.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, informative read on one of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars are really only for the subject matter. Found this to be a very dry read, almost like a high school essay

[Lem Oppenheimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great detail and analysis. Very fun and fast to read.

[Gabe · Rating 2 out of 5]

probably the worst written of all of these (and almost none of them are great writing to begin with) but the interview portions are nice.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatest band of all time

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable for a weeniac

[Lauren Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ween is so UNDERRATED. Loved this quick little read about the album Chocolate and Cheese.
This is a must have for all Ween fans for sure.