Dean Ween

Dean Ween (born September 25, 1970) is the stage name of Michael "Mickey" Melchiondo, Jr., Italian American guitarist and very special second half of the alternative rock group Ween. Growing up listenin

Dean Ween (born September 25, 1970) is the stage name of Michael "Mickey" Melchiondo, Jr., Italian American guitarist and very special second half of the alternative rock group Ween. Growing up listening to everything from the Beatles to Parliament/Funkadelic, to Leonard Cohen to Prince, to the Ramones to Laurie Anderson, he was plunged into musical interest at an early age and collected many influences along the way. The only thing missing for young Mickey Melchiondo was somebody for which to share his love of everything music.

He later met Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) in a junior high school typing class in their hometown of New Hope, Pennsylvania, and although the two did not get along at first, they soon found they were soul brothers and thus adapted the common surname. The Ween brothers were soon spending all of their time in Melchiondo's bedroom, Melchiondo banging out songs on guitars tuned to open chords and Freeman wailing out the good word of the Boognish -- a demon god they claim appeared outside their classroom and offered them scepters of wealth and power for their "services" -- into a cheap microphone. Within a few years, the two found themselves opening for the likes of underground favorites such as the Butthole Surfers and Henry Rollins.