So You

not bad meaning bad...

Ween - "Tastes Good on th' Bun" (mp3)
(purchase here)

I did it again last night. Call it the curse of the educator, call it the paradox of objectivity... or just plain call it talkin' shit about your friends, it deserves an explanation.

Passing along the Great Santino's mix to cPd, she asked, "How is it?" to which I replied, "It's pretty (him)" ...which sounds backhanded and condescending, yes. And I am also aware that the more accepted "It's good," or "It's bad" are, um, more accepted.

However, how much do either of those statements convey? And how does positive/negative reinforcement move the conversation along? Thank goodness for analysis of artistic process, otherwise I really wouldn't have shit to say.

Yes, I liked his tape. I just like talking about why. Because it's so him. Each track speaks to his personality: his passions, his obsessions, and his general Santos-ness. Dude, the nearness of you (mvb, Cursive and unicorn stickers) on magnetic tape: kudos.

So, today's theme is about celebrating the you in you. And what other band knows itself better than Ween?

Sure, Dean and Gene Ween have always run the gamut of music history. The group's latest, Shinola, Vol. 1, still reflects this as the 'brothers' channel the Bootsy-on-mescaline Standing in the Shadows of Motown outtake "Boys Club" before sauntering down Abbey Road for "I Fell in Love Today." Perhaps because the record is a rarities collection meant to make the heads go huzzah, the press circuit is trying to play Shinola down as some Ween geek off-piece. Fuck that: the whole record is chock full of their peculiar filter (hash?). Sure, it's a bit syrupy with sentimentality and some tracks run long... though the life observations of "Big Fat Fuck" is pretty spot on for those "I'm never gonna smoke weed again" moments and for my "Why am I fatter than Nicole Richie/Carson from Queer Eye?" peoples. But the gems scream, "Ween!" After all, who else can make a crack about a bum sub, an ass sandwich?

Ween: stayin' true to they school. Penguin.