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Your support makes all the difference."People expect us to be really wacky, out-of-control freaks, but when they get to meet us, I'm pretty shy. That's part of the reason I like getting on stage and singing."
Dean Ween is the taller, quieter half of New Jersey warped pop duo Ween (right); the other half is spiritual brother Gene Ween. Their forte is to take hostage a style (rock, soul, Mexican, lo-fi, reggae), add bizarre (some would say dodgy) lyrics and sit back and wait for the complaints to roll in. Reactions to the fourth album Chocolate and Cheese, with its "parental advisory" sticker, did not disappoint. There was a mini avalanche of opportunities for the ultra-conservative/humourlessly right-on to be offended. Top horror is "Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)", written from the full-yuk angle of a kid sufferer. "It was creepy - if it didn't give you the creeps it didn't work," Dean reasons. "We're not making fun of anyone with spinal meningitis, but that's a song I can't defend. Each day we have a fear of coming down with it." Another weird cut is "The HIV Song": happy-go-lucky fairground synthy plonkings, occasionally punctured by the single doomstruck word "HIV" or "Aids". "It was inspired by a friend of ours. It was a beautiful day and he was walking along when he saw all these peaceful fishermen. My friend was in a real bad mood. He wished he had a megaphone so he could scream: `Aids! Global Warfare!' He just wanted to demolish their beautiful lives. It's the only political song we have ever done." Nice.
Ween, tonight, The Garage, N1 (071-607 1818)
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