“We didn’t know what we were doing at all. And it’s cool to be a rudimentary example of something that somehow does something – is able to do a few shows and make records. It’s a miracle. It’s like dogs dancing: it’s not that great but it’s amazing that it happens at all.” — Evan Dando, Forbes interview, June 2022
It’s his birthday today.
I was never a huge Lemonheads fan, although I appreciated them. Not to be cliched, but Evan Dando was so … gorgeous, it was just an unavoidable fact, and so there was a lot of attention put on his looks. (Kurt Cobain was gorgeous too and I don’t remember the same kind of objectification going on. Like, not every article started off with how handsome he was.) Evan Dando seemed so disinterested in that whole entire conversation – in his looks, in general. There’s no way he could have been unaware of his handsomeness, or maybe he resented it? I don’t know, he was just totally casual and “over” looking like he did, which was a fucking movie star. He had a small role in James Mangold’s first film, Heavy, starring Liv Tyler, with Pruitt Taylor Vince and Debbie Harry – !! – and Shelley Winters – !!! There really weren’t any other characters. I saw Heavy at the Angelika theatre when it first came out, and was captivated by the tiny story. I can see its flaws now – the common “tropes” at play – but I honor my first impression as coming from an authentic place. Evan Dando plays the carelessly cruel entitled and deadpan boyfriend of Liv Tyler, brooding gorgeously in the background, not being all that nice to her. While it’s not a huge role, he’s crucial to the plot. I went into the film cold, so i remember thinking, “Wait a second … is that Evan Dando??”
My commentary is pretty surface-level, so I want to point you to my brother’s essay on the Lemonheads, his own journey with Evan Dando, and his observations Dando’s songwriting. (I think it’s pretty telling – and cool – that Dando loves – and I mean loves – the song “Frank Mills” from Hair. “Frank Mills” showed him the possibilities of songs as storytelling. I love that.)
Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my Venmo account. And I’ve launched a Substack, Sheila Variations 2.0, if you’d like to subscribe.
