These Are The People In Your Neighborhood: Dean Ween

Hog Island Press loves Ween. We still remember that Summer night in ’93 when we let Nichole with an ‘H’ borrow our copy of Pure Guava, never to see it again. Lesson(s) learned. Fast forward two decades and New Hope native Dean Ween – aka Captain Mickey Melchiondo – has covered quite a bit of ground. In addition to the huge body of work he’s done with Ween, Melchiondo has heartily contributed to a slew of other awesome projects: Desert Sessions, Queens of the Stone Age, South Park, Sponge Bob, Pigface, Moistboyz, etc. In 2009 he received his captain’s license, and now regularly leads highly acclaimed fishing trips on the Delaware River and off the Jersey shore as Mickey’s Guide Service. It’s likely that Mickey is the most interesting dude in the Delaware Valley, though there is one thing that he has never done in his illustrious career: a Q & A with Hog Island Press. Until now that is… take it away Deaner!

Who are you?

I am Mickey Melchiondo, rock guitar player and fisherman from the band Ween.

Got a favorite Philly sandwich?

I would choose an italian roast pork sandwich just to avoid the obvious steak answer, but I like Steve’s Prince of Steaks – whiz, w/o – above all others.

Describe your perfect day in the Philly.

The Phillies topping off a collapse by the Mets on the last game of the regular season.

Who were a few of your favorite Philly personalities from your childhood?

The Boss’s wife from Atlantic Transmission commercials, “Don’t get frantic, call Atlantic” just because of her unapologetic Philly accent on Channel 17 growing up. I was gonna say Joe Carcione (the Green Grocer) but I’m not sure that he was actually from Philly, I heard his show was syndicated.

Better “Holy Sh*t We Just Won the World Series” reaction – Tug’s leap or Lidge’s exclamation to Valhalla from his knees?

Brad Lidge’s, because I got to experience it with my son, who could tell something very special was happening just by my reaction. Also, that game was delayed and then resumed on another day, and the anticipation was excruciating. Harry Kalas screaming “the Phillies are world champions of baseball!”

Who is your all-time favorite Phillies player?

I love Jimmy Rollins. The fans are going to really miss him someday. Just an incredibly gifted defensive shortstop and always my favorite Phillie. I met Bake McBride when I was a kid and he was incredibly nice to me and autographed a ball, I never forgot that.

You can take 3 and only 3 albums for a summer roadtrip, and they all have to be Philly-related. What are they?

1. Schooly D “Saturday Night/Parkside 5-2”

2. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes Greatest Hits

3. Hall and Oates “Abandoned Luncheonette”

What’s the most fun you’ve ever had playing a venue in Greater Philadelphia?

A lot of great gigs at the Khyber Pass, the Trocadero, and Penn’s Landing, which is one of my favorite outdoor venues in the world.

What’s your favorite Hog Island Press design?

Parlez Vous Franzke?

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So, so awesome. And should you ever get the urge to take a four star chartered fishing trip with a rock star this Summer, don’t get frantic – call Captain Mickey. Here’s one for the road from your pals at Hog Island Press – exactly where we’re all at. Rock on.

