by brenton crozier bdcrozier@gmail.com
WHO: The Lemonheads with Vietnam
WHEN: January 30th
WHERE: Jack Rabbits
INFO: jaxlive.com or 398-7496
Evan Dando was nice enough to call and talk recently about the new Lemonhead’s album, books, his past Jacksonville experience, and about not being taken seriously.
EU: I’ve got to thank you for making many of my mix tapes a success during the courting process of my younger years. Lemonhead’s songs were always a sure thing.
ED: Cool. We always wanted to be a mix tape band. Some bands shy away from that, but we liked that. What about Einstein a Go-Go’s? We played there back in the day and they made us fried chicken in the basement. They also had those T-shirts with everyone that came through there.
EU: It’s now defunct, unfortunately, but it sounds like you had the real Southern experience.
ED: I figured it was. We met Artemis Pyle when we were down there and put him on our list for the show, but he didn’t show up. Do people still drive up and down the road down there?
EU: Um, I’m not sure, but I don’t think so.
ED: I should probably let you ask your questions.
EU: No problem. Going back to mix tapes, do you have any staples of your own?
ED: Oh yeah. ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’ by the Only Ones. Have you heard that song?
EU: No.
ED: You really need to check it out. Also ‘Folly of Youth’ by Pere Ubu and, um, ‘Outdoor Miner’ by Wire.
EU: Besides the solo efforts, what have you been doing since Car Button Cloth came out in 1996?
ED: Playing live shows. I figured if I played 5 shows a month that would pay the bills.
EU: That’s very utilitarian of you.
ED: I’m a practical guy.
EU: Has your perception of the music business and even your music changed since the early to mid 90’s when you were considered more commercially viable?
ED: Yeah, when I was in my 20s I did whatever I was told, but now I do my own thing. We were offered the Fall Fashion Show with Rolling Stone but turned it down. We probably would have done it before. I’m much wiser about things now.
EU: Your drug use is often brought up in interviews. What relevance does this have and does it bother you?
ED: It doesn’t. I’ve made it a policy not to talk about it because of things like the recent Spin article.
EU: What happened with the Spin article?
ED: As a joke I said that I’m crazy and still take drugs and they put it on the cover.
EU: What made you work with members of The Descendants? What was that process like?
ED: It was great. Bill Stevenson has been a songwriting hero of mine since I was 16. You don’t want to play over Bill Stevenson’s parts. They brought a great edge.
EU: You’ve referenced classic literary figures like F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce as inspiration. Are there any contemporary writers that work as a muse for you?
ED: Definitely. Murakami, the Japanese author that wrote Norwegian Wood and Kafka on the Shore. He’s like a Japanese JD Salinger mixed with something else. Have you read anything by him?
EU: No, but I would like to. I’m reading Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer.
ED: I started reading that, but couldn’t get into it.
EU: The first 50 pages are a bit tough to get used to, the way he writes, but it would be worth giving it another shake.
ED: Yeah I will. Also, Speed by William S. Burroughs Jr. is a great book.
EU: Does age 40 feel very indie rock?
ED: (Laughing) I’m still 39. I’ll be 40 in March. It’s wild. I can’t believe it.
EU: Were you ever worried about your music taking second seat to your heartthrob status?
ED: Oh yeah, it did. People don’t take you serious. I thought doing the People’s Most Beautiful People thing was funny at the time, but it did hurt.
EU: So life is good. Marriage, a new album, what’s next?
ED: The tour. We’re going to Australia, New Zealand, and, um, England. We’re really looking forward to Florida, it has always been a good place for us.
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