Gene Ween

American rock musician

Aaron Freeman (born March 17, 1970), better known by his stage name Gene Ween, is an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the experimental alternative rock group Ween. Freeman, along with childhood friend Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween), started the group in the mid-1980s.

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About the Gene Ween

Aaron Freeman (born March 17, 1970), better known by his stage name Gene Ween, is an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the experimental alternative rock group Ween. Freeman, along with childhood friend Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween), started the group in the mid-1980s. Ween would expand to five members and perform together until May 2012 when Freeman abruptly quit the band due to his want to move forward with a solo career, as well as his desire to remain sober. Over the next few years, Freeman would briefly abandon the Gene Ween name and lead a new five-piece band called Freeman. Shortly after reviving the Gene Ween name for a series of Billy Joel tribute performances, Ween reunited in February 2016 for three concerts in Broomfield, Colorado. The band has continued to perform and tour since.

19 Quotes by Gene Ween

  1. 1.

    Most of our fans seem to be very intelligent people who don’t stand out too much, but they’re still total freaks. I like that – they’re smart and sadistic, which I think is a reflection at us.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  2. 2.

    We love doing commercial and TV show work.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  3. 3.

    Now in a way, money is money, and if it’s going to increase our audience, that’s fine.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  4. 4.

    When it comes to the recording and writing, it’s still mostly Mickey and I. But now there’s this whole live entity that’s a whole different thing, and it seems to be where we’re gaining the most popularity.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  5. 5.

    You know, it’s absolutely connected to The Mollusk in that, it’s what we’re writing after The Mollusk. A lot of this stuff reminds me of things on The Mollusk.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  6. 6.

    We had been working. We had a bunch of songs written and it came time to make the record, so we had our lawyer make the call to Elektra and ask for our advance. Then, we got dropped. It was actually exciting.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  7. 7.

    Basically, Pizza Hut just backed out on the ad agency at the last minute. They got fired and we got fired. It was a simple as that. We do stuff like that on and off.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  8. 8.

    I was never into smart college boy music.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  9. 9.

    We are going to put out a boxed set thing, but I don’t want to do it yet. I want to wait until we’re 45 and we’re bitter and broke. Then, we’ll put out the comprehensive Ween boxed set.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  10. 10.

    I’m a very big Notorious B.I.G. fan and I do an imitation of him that always cracks everybody up.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  11. 11.

    Not after the big bust in ’92, there’s no big drug lifestyle anymore. I can’t talk about it. Pretty ugly.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  12. 12.

    I wrote most of these songs right before the end. A lot of these songs are about that. Even if it’s not direct, you can feel the beginning of the end of the breakup in these songs.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  13. 13.

    I want to sound like Christopher Cross in another ten years, and be totally proud of it.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  14. 14.

    A few years ago, one of our singles got beaten out by Better Than Ezra. The label could only have one band at a time being taken to the right people at radio, and they opted for Better Than Ezra instead of us. Who knows.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  15. 15.

    Forty minutes in front of Beck isn’t really where it’s at.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  16. 16.

    A lot of those songs are actually about Sarah, who I was recently divorced from about five or six months ago. I’d been seeing her off and on since I was about nineteen, so a lot of those songs are about her.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  17. 17.

    We sold a certain, steady amount of product for them and they could count on it. When it came time to ask for the money for this new record, they dropped us. It was fine with us. It was a dead fish.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  18. 18.

    Ninety-nine per cent of opening bands stink.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician

  19. 19.

    I can’t take any more white boys noodling around on their guitars.

    Gene Ween

    American rock musician