Bandsplain - 24 Question Party People: Evan Dando of the Lemonheads

Episode Date: December 12, 2023

On this episode of '24 Question Party People,' we talk to Evan Dando about moving to Brazil, new Lemonheads music, the art of letting Boston hardcore legends stay in your closet for undefined amounts of time, and whether he’s more the Gingerbread Man or Ralph from 'Lord of the Flies.' Tales are told, songs are sung, and truths are discussed at length, all in another episode of '24 Question Party People.' Host: Yasi SalekGuest: Evan DandoProducer: Jesse Miller-GordonAssociate Producer: Chris SuttonAdditional Production Supervision: Justin SaylesTheme Song: Hether Fortune Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may find this hard to believe, but 60 songs that explain the 90s. America's favorite poorly named music podcast is back. With 30 more songs than 120 songs total. I'm your host, Rob Harvilla, here to bring you more shrewd musical analysis, poignant nostalgic reveries, crude personal anecdotes, and rad special guests, all with even less restraint than usual. Join us once more on 60 Saws That Explain the 90s every Wednesday on Spotify.

24 question party people and party people. Hello and welcome to 24 question party people. I am your host Yossi Salek. This is a show where I invite an interesting person on for a little talk. I ask the same 23 questions every time

more or less plus one wildcard. The guest is allowed to skip one question. Sometimes the questions change a little bit. You guys, unfortunately once again your girl has been pondering. She's on the fucking ponderosa, babe. She's raising Adam, Haas, and little Joe on her own, a single mom working two jobs. It's a lot of metaphors there. Anyways, you know what I'm saying. Maybe some of you don't know what I'm saying. Listen,

I've been thinking, what I wouldn't give, though, to be thought-free. Do you know what I mean? Like my favorite TikTok girlies? Just like living in an antiseptic white and beige condo in a matching sweatsuit from Amazon, making my little iced macho lattes, and like those glasses with the wood lids and the straw, you know what I'm talking about, like misusing the word aesthetic over and over, gwash-aing my face, like until it peels off, et cetera. I dream of this for myself. Instead, God has cursed me with a beautiful yet overactive mind.

And what I've been pondering with it lately, besides Dr. House and his antics, which is constantly on my mind, I've been pondering time. More specifically, I've been trying to heal my relationship with time, which I'll be honest with you is kind of contentious. The truth is I don't care for that bitch. I always feel her breathing down my fucking neck, playing hard to get, running out, running away. But honestly, if we're being honest, between the two of us, the 70 of us, the 7,000 of us.

The truth is that that's just my own fucked up perception because that is the thing about time. She's just like us for real, but what I mean by that is she can be anything. She contains multitudes. Sometimes time is super slow, right? And sometimes it flies, as the saying goes. Sometimes time is dense, right? It's like thick and viscous.

And sometimes it's light confection. buoyant, you know. Those things can also be mixed, right? Like, you can be bored somewhere brutal, like the DMV, and time is dense and slow. But let's say you're in love, babe, congrats. And you're spending a night with someone. You're sitting in front of the fireplace discussing your innermost feelings. Time is dense, but fast flies by.

You get the picture. It's kind of cool if you can divorce yourself from the crippling anxiety that comes when you think you're constantly running out of time. Like if you think about that stuff and you're like, that's cool. It's because you don't have that crinkling anxiety. I don't know if everyone feels that way, but man, it really is the motherfucking thief of joy. Because it makes it so when you're doing anything, you feel like you should be doing something else, which just renders it fucking impossible to enjoy. or even be present for the thing at hand.

I fucking hate this. I hate it. I want to be immersed, babe. I want to be immersed in the act of making coffee or writing in my little journal or even being in the fucking Google Doc without the icy fingers of whatever the fuck else I think I'm supposed to be doing, pinching at my heart. And sometimes I can, right? Sometimes I can be like fully in it, like fully in the fucking making coffee with my Mr. coffee. It's not that complicated, so it doesn't really take that long, but, or whatever,

being in the Google Doc. And when that happens, that's the fucking best. So this is what I'm working on. This is when I'm ponderosing. This is what's happening. A book that really helped me is called 4,000 Weeks Time Management for Mere Mortals that my friend Catherine got me. I know that title, it sounds like a productivity book or something, but it's really absolutely not. It's more like a book about how to come to terms with time. And one of the things he says, the writer, Oliver Berkman, he says something that I've actually talked to my therapist a lot about, which is, guess what, bitch, you actually can't do all the things that you want to do. You can't do all of them. You have a lot of libidinal energy, probably, to do a lot of things, and that's awesome,

but you can't do all of them. It's just impossible. She can't have it all. And I know that sounds like a bummer, but when you really think about it, like really get into it, it's actually kind of liberating. It both forces you to have to commit to certain things, right? Give them more attention, give them more energy, give them more weight. A thing that I think has become harder and harder for us to do with anything. It forces that if you really care and want to do it. And it also frees you from this like false notion that you can do it all and thus should do it all. because guess what, babe, again, you literally fucking can't.

And why the fuck should you? Do just the things, a couple of things, and really immerse and enjoy and be good at them and give them your attention and energy. Anyways, that is the type of shit I've been on lately, man, okay? I have not mastered this. I am not the master of time. But I do get a little bit better every day, so that's all you can really ask for. I don't have a clever tie-in for today's episode or conversation to what I've been talking about just now.

But you know what? I guess when I thought about it, something I really admired about Evan Dando back when I was balls deep in the Lemonheads episode research was how he just seemed to focus on his things and immerse himself in them, right? Like letting the tide take him where it went within those pursuits and aspirations. That might not have been his actual experience as he does debunk me and producer Dillon's cherished no ambition, just vibes theory in this interview. But honestly, you know what? Much like time, how we experience things is really all that matters. And I experienced his story that way.

So that's my truth. And it helped me get closer to who I want to be in the world. And for that, Evan Dando, and for all the fucking. incredible music you've made. I am super grateful. The Lemonheads put out a new song called Fear of Living last month and you know what? It's pretty fucking great. Of course it is because Evandanda wrote it. Can't wait for the new Lemonheads album next year or whenever it's coming. I think it's next year. Or maybe I can wait because I have this new healed relationship to that bitch time, babe. Anyway, here is my talk with Evandando.

How are you doing today, Evan? Evan Dano, you guys. Great. We're having a party at a pool party at a half. Like Vibes Cartel. Just like Vives Cartel? You know the song by Vives Cartel? Pool party?

Pool party? Yeah. I love Vives. I really love Vives Cirtel. I spent a lot of time in Jamaica. And he's like, he and Somo Camp. The first time he went to jail, I was there. And he's like, oh, Vives in Somo Camp this year, this year.

We tried to interview him. Me and Anita Pallenberg. I was staying with her. And we didn't make it. We didn't make the cut. Remember when he put out that song. in the beginning of the pandemic from jail. That was really good. I can't remember the name of it.

Exactly. There you go. Vives is always putting out really good stuff from jail. Super high quality audio, to be honest. Yeah, I think his quality of life is pretty good in there too. Luckily, because it's such a, I think it's a trumped up charge. He's part in the expression. Yeah. No, totally. Evan, we have a mutual friend,

John Strom. That sounds a little suspicious to me. Is he really your friend from a long time ago? Yes. Not a long time ago. We became friends like three years ago. so he's more your friend, but he's definitely, I have his cellular telephone number. Oh, yeah, I'm glad you can see that. John's great.

John's great. And there's nothing wrong with you to being friends. Thank you so much. I accept your blessing. You don't need my blessing, but you have it. He came on my other podcast, which is called Bandsplain, where we explained bands,

and he did Grand Parsons, which I know is near and dear to your heart as well. Yes, grand Parsons. I figured out at a certain point, John Bing, I wrote a song called Bride With Me and he said, that sounds like Grand Parson. I just heard about him

about doing drugs and stones and pictures I'd seen pictures. And he had a swastika fucking thing and it was okay because it was English. Back then they took, you know, it was like taking you know, he almost got killed by the Nazis, Keith. His room was lit by V2. So it's a little different. I was like, wow, what the fuck?

You know, like, why is grandparson? But Keith gave him. It's like the old old like 70s like British punk usage. We're in the war alive and almost got killed by them. It's almost like whatever. That's not even talking. Totally. Just means the sun anyway, isn't it?

Just like cross just means the sun. Not it's not good old, but is it zeitgeist? I'm getting part nine. I hate that. Okay, Evan, are you ready? Are you ready to party? This is a show where I asked 24 questions and I'm going to start number one. That sounds like a party to me.

I know, right? what's a better kind of party than a pool party? It's the one where I ask you 24 straight questions. Okay. It's a way more fun. Avandando, what is your sign, babe? I'm a Pisci and I'm fine. I'm fishing.

Mark's 4th. Are you an astrology person? Like, do you know the qualities and traits of a Pisces? I don't know. I know Reagan and Hitler were really into it. So I don't know. I give it a grain. Are you making that up?

No. Are you making that up that up that you're pretending that you're No, I didn't know. Of course, you know, Nancy Reagan was like a totally, they made decisions because of, um, horticulture, whatever it's called. What is called? Astrology. And, and certainly, like, um, Hitler used astrology, especially, what's his name? Rudolph Hess. I did not know that. And I don't want to look into it because I love astrology and you're, it's really bumming me out that is information. Things get sullied, you know, everything's sullied. I don't know talking about Irish last name. You know, Hitler also wore beautiful suits. He invented America. I'm going to wear beautiful suits and, you know, we're going to reclaim astrology from Hitler is what we're going to do. You know who made the suits? You made the Nazi uniform.

Yes, yes. Victor Hugo. It's like that. It's like Victor Hugo. It's not. I know it's not, but it's like that kind of name. He wrote Le Miserables. It's not Oscar de la Renta either, but it's like one of those.

It's fucking Hugo Boss. Hugo Boss. Exactly. Victor Hugo Boss. For real, like that company made the Nazi universe. Yeah. It's probably enough on that whole subject. Wow.

we're really deep in Nazi talk today. No, we are. I was going to say, let's go one further because they caught Joseph Mangalai. No kidding. A mile from where I am right now. Are you in Europe? Canteria. No, I'm in Brazil.

I live in Brazil. I didn't know you lived in Brazil. That's cool. When did you move to Brazil? 19, uh, question. When I was in Brazil about a year ago? Okay. Sick.

Well, I do feel like you're, even if astrology is not your thing. I feel like you. You seem like a Pisces for sure. Like very, I am. Dreamy, tender, romantic, empathetic, artistic. Yeah, all those things like, what is it about Pisces? Some of my best friends are Pisces too. Like my Tom Morgan, my writing partners of Pisces.

From Australia. Yeah. You wrote the beautiful song. Yeah, we wrote a lot of stuff together. Yeah. And Pisces, we always used to say, they get a lot done. Yeah, but also like super emotional. They make really good artists because so connected.

Pisces are really honest, I think. And witchy connected with the moon. Leave it to what's his name. Like the propaganda minister for all that stuff. I don't know. But definitely it's the oldest thing. It's the oldest science. I'm not going to throw like the first stone if you catch my death.

I hear you. Like the first bone up in there it turns into space shift. Space shift. Here it's nave. Navi is spaceship. Evan backwards. Oh. All right.

Evan. Question number two. What did you eat today? I had eggs and grape juice. I had poached soft oil eggs on like this baguette and stuff. They call it baguette. It's like French bread. And it was amazing.

And I had some, I didn't have hot sauce. Oh, no. You're a hot sauce guy? I couldn't find it. You know what? I think I have it now.

Do you feel like you're a healthy eater? I am. Since I've moved down here, I feel, I'm at my, everything's thanking me since I've been down here. I love Brazil. It's like some, it's not paranoid. It's not guilty.

It's like gorgeous. It's not expensive. It's, it's just, people aren't like up their own ass like completely it's like amazing like a lot of America I love the middle are you are you from Chicago no do I have an accent I'm from Los Angeles unfortunately you have a podcast podcast podcast podcast I have a valley valley girl you have a Hyundai accent no that was my Uber driver Uber driver Uber driver I could talk like I'm really from Boston but I'm a lace curtain

motherfucker anyway I'm from the North Shaw yeah you are your you're Boston area, right? I'm middle class, though. You know, we were friends with a lot of rich people. It sounds like a joke, but we were firmly middle class. All right. Number three, Evan, have you listened to music today? And if so, what was it?

Oh, listen to Fred Neal, Deaker and McDougal, that record. That and I listened to Beachwood Sparks, too. Oh, Beachwood Sparks. Great band. I like them. Are you writing right now? Are you writing music? I was writing today a song about my girlfriend, Antonio.

Oh, that's amazing. It's been this thing like, come on, bring me a song. And you can't fake it, can you? And now I'm trying to get it. Got to come natural. It's conducive creativity, creativity. And I stopped me doing heroin. That was a big one for me.

It unblocked your creativity. No. Well, yeah. Well, it just made me like not like in the arms and claws as much of Satan. Like you shouldn't feel that good for no reason, you know. Sure. It's got to have a downside. If you need a metaphor for Satan, heroin will work.

But not fentanyl because it's not good enough. It's like a damning, it's like some sort of lesser demon, not even. Lesser demon, I was going to say. It's a bit of a lesser demon, not lucer demon, it's more deadly. Okay, amazing. Can't wait to hear your song about Antonia. Number four, Evan, what's the first song that made a big impact on you as a child? He wave.

I always say heat wave because heat wave. It's so beautiful. Heat Wave by Martha Reeves, yeah, and the Vandallas. You don't look like Martha and the Vandallis. Remember that from a song, I know we have some temptation lies inside of your heart. Oh, Motown. You can talk during this.

Shut the door. I love that song. You heard Heat Wave and were you just like, wow, like music is crazy. I want to make music. Yeah. And don't mess with Bill. No, no, no, no. Don't mess with it.

Leave my bill alone. Don't mess. I love that melody. Was that from your parents that showed you that music? From the radio from like three years old, yeah. So you wonder, my parents had great music around the house. All black music. Maybe Neil Young and the Beatles and stuff.

No Dylan at all. I rebelled against my parents were getting into country music. Do you feel like you just were born with sort of a mind that is like apt for music, like that could sort of like got it quickly and like, processed it differently. My mother and my parents are very musical. And also like this guy I'm related to see my grandma, he wrote the words

in summertime. Dubois Hayward. I'm related to him to my grandma. I don't know exactly. I am like directly related to but I have better painting pedigree because my uncle Ray Ellis was very famous. It was John Cookewarm had a favorite painter. No kidding. You have a huge artistic DNA.

Yeah, I think about that because I've studied the lemon heads. music closely from my other podcast. And also John told me a story. I've never done those genealgy things either. Like we just send in your fingernail or something. I don't, that scares me. I think it's just your saliva. Did you do it? My sister did do it. I haven't done it. My sister saliva did the trick. Anyway, we're

from Norway and shit. Like whales. I don't want the government to have my DNA. But maybe that's just paranoid. No, exactly. Because what are they really going to use it for? Hopefully to clone me and make a thousand more because I'm perfect. I know, I know, right? I hate that. I'd love like, throw 600 myself off like a 10-story building.

and whilst like having dinner and one, like a couple of dinner at an Italian restaurant. Yeah, what if we could just be in a couple places at the same time? 10 at, um, up at, you know, Balthazar, and uptown. Balthazar, yeah, downtown.

I could picture 10 of you in a round. And there's two at blue ribbon, two at blue ribbon. A couple like in the rambles. You're a bit of a foodie, huh? Evan Dando. I just like I eat. I like to survive.

Live another day. Live well. Okay, number five, Evan Dando. What is the first album you bought with your own money or shoplifted with your own two hands? I don't like the implication there. You were a punk. You were a punk. That's punk to shoplaced.

Sorry, when I was a kid, I definitely did it, but not when I was a punk. I just thought at that point, people had enough problems. They had to pay for that shit. They think, oh, it's a corporation. I don't buy that whole thing. Like, don't worry about it. It's just a big corporation because they had a vote too. No, but also they make the employees pay for that shit.

Right. I'm not proud of myself. I was 12, okay? I wasn't making the best moral decisions. That's what I'm talking about. At 12, I used to like, we used to do horrible stuff. Like, I used to hit rocks into the highway with a tennis ball, tennis racket. You know, little rocks would run over them?

And it would, like, make, on a stir-driving, make little thunder benders and stuff. I was horrible, kid. I was attacking at the adult world every, with every fucking thing. I used to cast a wet sock down on my sidewalk. No shit from the seventh floor window. And I'd pull it into someone's face, you know, because they couldn't see the monofilament. It was before a braided line.

And so you understand, this is before a braided fishing line. Sure, sure. But, like, and it would always get stuck in the Gertes Institute flagpole, which is the next door. I'm not kidding. You can't make this stuff up. It was really fun to mess with strangers. And my house was two blocks away from my high school.

So it was everyone who'd come get fucked up with my house and, like, throw stuff from the roof. Anyway, it was fun. That's the most fun. Let's face it. That's the most fun that you had without shoplifting. Okay, but what was the first album you bought? Oh, Kim, this is a weird one. Kim Fowley's Modern Lover's demo is the first record I bought, my own money.

How did you know about that? How old were you? Because my dad used to see them every day. They played at lunch. You know, they got a lot, a lot, a lot of great day. desk and chairs at the government center. That's a real song. He played a government center at lunch every day.

My dad worked across the street. And he said, he would go, radio on. He played the song for me before I was out on a record. My dad, like, played the guitar. And he loved the modern lovers. Wow, your dad was cool. Well, yeah.

My dad was cool. Your dad was, your dad was hit. My dad was so cool. He was also a corporate lawyer. And you can be both things. He was great, though. His employees made a stand. You became the managing partner,

and they made a because you say, I have fun with your law, bullshit and stuff and all that vagaries and minutiae of the lawyer stuff, but get the money. And so they had a stamp made for him,

get the money. I feel like money is unfairly demonized. We're monetized. Being monetized. You need it. I was trying to tell you, my dad, does it help if I say my dad died two years ago?

I didn't know that. I'm very sorry for your loss. Yeah. Thanks. But anyway, let's do the questions. Okay, we got that one. So the modern lovers demos, that's the coolest answer I've heard so far. You know, produced by, no, the trip guys.

Take a trip and emmer rats, uh, Kim Fowley. Kim Fowley. A questionable person, but, uh, definitely a figure. Oh, yeah, right? Separate the artist from the art now. Don't forget that. Separating the art from art, babe. Okay, numbers, number six.

Did anyone in your childhood ever tell you, you're never going to make it? Evan or something like that. My sister. Oh, really? My sister always did. Yes, but I brought her on tour with me. My sister's like, Evan, because I would be singing along until like, serve at heaven or something. And she's like, Evan, you think you're so cool because you can sing.

I have tapes here of myself singing like, um, like, we listen to these, uh, song remains the same a lot, that live record. We were really in half when we were in sixth grade. Well, that was when like, um, freaking House of the Holy came out, too, which is such a beautiful record. We just like Sabbath back

then and then and that Zeppelin. And what did you say to her when she was like, you're never going to be a rock star of it and you're never going to make it? Well, it helped me. That's why I was like brought it on tour with me because, you know, she really fueled the, actually she didn't because I never really wanted to. I just saw a flipper one day and I knew how to play guitar and everyone's like, I mean, you just started like a kind of like a hardcore band or something or like a too late for

a hardcore band like her or mooch in New York and can involve the whole gorilla biscuits like like Revelations team. They didn't say that. But I almost moved to New York in 1970. Yeah. You were really into hardcore and I used to have a YouTube channel and I remember digging deep into it. I still do. And you had to.

I used to, but I still do. Yeah. What was the guy from that like legendary Boston hardcore band and he had all his stuff? Springy. Spring. Springer. Yeah. And he had all.

He's on it. Yeah. Stuff was in your dryer. You were like spring of stuff is in my dryer. Oh yeah. I love that. He used this. He's using it as a, that's funny. He using it as a drawer. Yeah. Because he wouldn't leave my closet. I was like, Springer, please. You've been here all summer, man. And then I'd back off because I love Sparer. I can't, I can't kick him out of my house. And he can't, he used your dryer as a drawer. And he was like a dryer. It didn't work as a as a shelf. Like for all this shit. Like, that was funny shit, man. How do you know about that? It was on the YouTube. It was on the YouTube. So Springer from SSD. I just, I remember being like, again, I told you, I had to.

to study the Lemonheads because I did this really long podcast about your band. And I got very deep in my research, which included watching your YouTube channel. And then I was like, okay, Springer from SSD is staying at Evans' house and keeping his stuff in the dryer. And that was a great day for me, personally. Got to stick you good. Got to stick together. Got to stick together. Got to speak together. Wow. A clue. You have such a broad musical taste.

I do, man. First time I learned. Brazilian. Yeah. Your mind is a jukebox. I remember John told me you guys were doing like a pass the guitar around and play a song in a hotel lobby once and that you would keep stopping everybody and be like if you're going to play this song.

Oh, I remember in England. I remember the very time. He was like, you have to play it in the right key. You're so musically minded. You were like, we're not just having fun here. You need to play it in the right. key. I think that might have just been like metaphorical because I don't think I said that

ever. But then again, she, my memory isn't as like completely perfect as I think it is. So maybe I did say that. But I don't think oh yeah, maybe, well, just because the way the chords are, it didn't, the voicing didn't sound right. It wouldn't have been for some petty you respect music and you think that

it should be played properly. I think that's yeah, but I'm not like that kind of person. I'm like, come on the right key. Like, I don't have photos of synesthesia. No, you can't see colors. Like our friend William. This guy I'm playing with like very lucky he's been a band called Black Rio. He's an incredible piano player.

Incredible. We're doing a jazz record. I'm like, it's like Annie Hall, right? Like, get the stone and think you can sing like Julie Holiday. You guys are making a jazz record together as Evan Dando, not as the Lemon Hens. I don't know. Yeah, definitely. As Jerry's kids.

No, yeah, no, I was myself. Maybe we'll start a band name. Maybe we will start a band name. His dad started this band called a band name. His dad started this band called a black roe. It's like a, he's very well respected and amazing. Portuguese is such a beautiful language. I would never be able to speak it, but it's so beautiful.

It's so fucking hard. Very, very hard. Very difficult. Very difficult. Because like, it's like Russian, man. Evan, number seven is the question that I'm going to ask you now, which is when was the last time you lied? Oh, on question number three, because I didn't listen to Beecher Sparks this morning.

What? You just wanted to sound cool. What was the, What was the reason? Yeah, because no, I want to sound pedantic. I could have an answer for this question as well. That's why. I love me just, but I'm going to listen to him later.

I always make the joke with this. I'm like, oh, people, people are going to say I lied earlier in this interview and everyone always laughs, but you actually did. Fuck it. I love it. Hell yeah. Okay, number eight, Evan Dando, what character in a book or a movie do you relate to the most and why? Well, it has to be, it's this thing, is it okay if it's from like a legend?

Sure. Okay. They're like the gingerbread man. You know, you can't catch me. I'm a gingerbread, man. Yeah.

That was always my thing. But also Alex from, no, from Clockper of Orange, yeah. And like a Ralph from, Lord of the Flies. And not Simon,

Ralph. Right, right, right, I don't have a problem. I like, I identify with fucking, you know,

the National History Museum guy, you know, the maroon cover, catch him the right. Yeah, yes, of course. Holden-Callfield, Holden-Callfield. Holden, holding. Are you holding?

You march to the beat of your own drum. No, no, March 4th. March 4th, remember. My name in Spanish means he was walking. No kidding. Iva onando. Iva on Dando. March 4th.

Yeah, March 4th. And you do walk, you do walk your own path. He was walking. He was walking. Number 9. Evandando. What was your biggest? Number 9, number 9, number 9.

We're making so much progress. What was your biggest sliding doors moment? I don't know if you've seen the movie, but... What does that mean? Okay, so if you had made another choice... A new car. No, if you had made another choice, you wouldn't be here right now, basically. You mean the butterfly effect?

I mean, why? Sliding Doors is a Gwyneth Paltrow movie where she misses a train and then, or she gets on it. That means that disqualifies it from English language for me. It's a wonderful romantic comedy. Evandando, and I feel you might enjoy it. I like her mom. You really think she's good? Yes, I do.

I knew her before she was famous. And she's really nice. I bet you did. I bet you did. No, yeah. The year before she won an Oscar, her only job was to keep me at this fucking party for Courtney Love. And that was her next year she won an Oscar.

I'm so glad you've come so far. Like last time you were just my bouncer like last year. That's a promotion for sure. From being up and down to a bouncer to being Oscar winner. Well, okay. So what's one choice you made in your life? life that if you hadn't made that choice, you wouldn't be here right now. Oh, yeah. Well, if I, um, if I'd gotten on the plane I was supposed to get on, I would have been in 9-11, the LA riots,

and I would have landed right in Boston during that Boston Marathon thing. There's been like three flights that you just. No, there's one flight. I was in other, in all the other things. Oh my God. This is audio only, but I'm seeing little childhood photos of Evan. So cute. Yeah, I had a Mohawk, too, like naturally. See that? Yeah, you were a punk from birth. Punk from birth. Snoddy by nature. I hate to reference bell biv.

Notty by no, I'm sorry, not even if I'm not even. OPP, other people's property, babe. You don't, even I'm not like, I'm not representing. Oh, you referenced them about meaning to. Yeah, you look like BVT. Okay, so you were almost. Bell Biv DeVoe. Why not, yeah.

Yeah, not very, they're not very, okay, poison. A very, great song. Fantastic song. Sorry, so I like toxic, but you're toxic. It's more like Steve Wonder. Toxic is Britney Spears, babe. Yeah, I know. That's Max Martin's.

I don't know. I like that better than poison. Okay. Get it? But then again, I do like, Dan's looking for nothing for a good time. How can I resist? They got like washing dishes, you know, like every man guy at the beginning of the video.

All right. Number 10. Evandando, what characteristic are you most drawn to in other people? Stubbornness. Oh, you like that. Why? Can you extrapolate? Tell me a little bit more. No, I mean, why should I? I don't want to. I'm not doing it. No, I just, I don't know. I've noticed that, that I do find that very dark. Do you think that you're a stubborn person yourself?

I hope so. I hope so. I'm not sure. Yeah, I am. I mean, I could see you doing your own, doing it your own way. Here, when does he's stubborn. My friend Nick, I love Nick. He's stubborn. like he couldn't use the real words the song being around so he made the book and he just like did different things for words like that's stubborn like and when a wonderful I love stubborn wait for your song being

around he made a children's book oh my god yeah it is really yeah because they wouldn't let the label and let do it so he just went off like it's it's really cute you guys can't see it was a really adorable children's book that's the visuals are from being around but no words

so it's the same amount of characters If I was, see, the W is like a D, it's really cool. That's one of my favorite Lemonhead songs I must tell you. My favorite. It's our mission statement. That's the band's mission statement. If I was in the fridge, would you open the door? So sorry, I can't sing, but allow it.

If I was a booger, would you blow your nose? Oh, yeah, I forgot. I should. I was in the fridge. We'd open the door. If I was the grass, would you mow your lawn. I'll play a thousand. If I was your body, we'd still wear it close.

If I was a booger, we'd blow your nose. Where'd keep it. was he did just kind of yourself. Be it on. Nobody's a baby here right now. Something for the parents. You know, all kids have to have. This is the best day of my life.

Got a little private Evandando moment concert for me. I don't understand. I'm such a huge fan. I don't understand. Why? You wrote some of the best songs. No, no, no. I know I'm good.

Yeah. But I don't know if I believe you. Oh my God. I'm so. You ever seen us live? Yes, multiple times. I saw you, I saw you live twice last. year. Also, I remember we have another mutual friend.

Oh, yeah, that's cool. I believe you know. Ben Lee, I should shout him out because he'll be sad. Ben-Lie is the best. Ben-Qweller's great too. How dare you, when we bring up Ben-Lie, you just throw in another Ben just to... All right. You can talk about Ben-Benley for a while. You're right. I'll take that how dare you. Because I met Ben-Lie when he's 14 in Bondi, and he's a great guy. He wrote his first record about me. Yeah. And he wrote that one great song for you on that one? No, that's what I'm talking about. His first record was called

I wish I was him. I wish I was a good take. Such a good song. I wish I was in against the women and his feet. With all his cool friends, he has no enemy. He's going to make fun of me. I wish I was him.

He gets his record for free. Because he went over to Pavs house, my art promoter, and I got the NME because I was on the cover. And you don't get it, you get it by boat there. It takes like a couple months. You used to.

Back in the pre-internet age. Whatever, yeah, but no, it was something like punitive about that. It was a penal colony after all. I was like, so you're an to me three months later. That's sort of why he wrote the song because he went to Paph's house and he saw it on the doorstep. He saw the new musical

Express and they don't get it for like a month. Yeah, they get it later, Australia. I love Ben Lee. And Ben Quiller. Both very talented, both gifted songwriters. From Radish. 24. and sometimes there'll be sorrow, yes, child with a child pretending. Yeah, you're back.

I didn't want to interrupt because it was so good. You're just taking a break. Yeah, I was just having my private concert. I'm enjoying my private concert. I like, I'm just a little green, black to color when the spring is born. There'll be crocuses to bring this school to me. school to my mom

I'm gonna go into both sides now if we don't stop now Okay number 11 Evan Dando who is the last person you met that you were star-struck by Oh fucking Wadi from a From Exploited

Wow that's come up a lot In the last couple of interviews Yeah I would never been Starstruck I don't think before I fell down the stairs I was like Wadi It was like Like 2000 in like

fucking five or something I fell down the stairs You had the cool dark purple hair I was like, holy shit, it's fucking Wadi. And it was rad. Those are the ones that gave. People like that. Like, Rudy Ray Moore.

I had out with him all night. And I was pretty star-strip by him. And also, Skip Stevenson. I met him. He was star striking. Yeah, these are good ones. You're a real head. That's why.

You don't care about celebs. You care about like real. You put it into your little podcast mentality. My podcast mentality. Wow. Evan, David, judging me. I said, I said, you said something. You said something.

You said something. But language is a virus from us. outer space. So what do we take what you get? Number 12. Number 12. When was the last time? Do you use social media? When was the last time you slid into someone's DMs if you do? I did use to. I don't want it anymore. I do. I have Twitter. I just put pictures up. You never DM anybody. I like Saxon. You know, like whatever. Yeah. You're wearing a Sepultero shirt, which we can both agree that we love. I met Sempla Tzuhr at the Columbia Hotel in London with Van Morrison all at the same table. It was like,

whoa. What? That is insane. What were they talking about with Van Morrison? Yeah, I know. Everyone needs to hang out there. Back in 1990, you never know who would walk in there. We used to be a proper country. No, it's England. It's London. It's London.

Well, we used to be a proper world, proper universe, a proper society. It's still, there's nothing much changed. Not much has changed. You feel like I could go to the Columbia. hotel now and maybe have like a weird dinner with um we're having dinner we're just drinking you know what I mean um uh you definitely got drinking and meet some people there it's still it's actually last time I went

there I saw freaking uh Paul Cook and fucking Paul Simonin they were together yeah Paul Simonin the hottest man that's ever lived no offense to present company but Paul Simonin was an absolute supermodel anyway it's changed they've redecorated it or whatever number 13 Evan Dando what is the horniest song ever in your opinion. Horneest. Okay. Yeah. I like that record back in black or like, you know, dirty mind.

That record represents. I'll go with uptown or something. Okay. I don't know. I mean, I don't want to be avert. You know, he's like, it can be metaphorical, right? Yeah. We're not all so devoted to what's his name is his son.

What is his name? King's name is. Martin Amos. Whatever. Martin Amos is great. He died too, didn't he? Yeah, he did. Just like Lucky Jim.

Yeah. Your mind is just an apple. wonderland of references, I must say. All right. Number 14. Evan Dando, what is the biggest money you've ever turned down? Like, for what? I haven't turned down money ever.

Some good, some good story. Like, you know, I don't know. Did they try to get you to put a Lemonhead song in a commercial that you were like, I don't want to do that or like, you know, stuff like that? Yeah, no, no, I don't even fuck. I don't get a fuck. I'm so like, don't never. I was like, oh, I guess this is all.

really too, like all, you know, what is it? Seared, bleared with Gerard Manley Hoppins like trade, you know. This is trade. The lemons were never like a sacred thing. It's like, it's like the, it's like the ocean or something, you know. Yeah, I know what you're saying. You can take a picture of it. It's like, highway one I want or whatever, the band.

Okay. No, I've never like, I just take the money. I never, I never turned any down. It's not sacred to you. Just like, whatever. I got, I need a lot of debts. Yeah. Got to pay for debts.

I can't afford. Am I'm using good enough for me to consider it sacred. That's not true. It's so good. I think I get what you're saying. Well, I'm fishing for compliments, yeah. I mean, look, don't get me started on it's a shame about Ray.

And also, honestly, baby, I'm bored. Really amazing. I just always thought, why not make some extra money on it? And as it turned out, I was right, because, like, it turned out that pretty much everything's in ads because you die anyway, you know? And then your song's in an ad.

It's like fucking, you know. Get it while you're alive. But I like how Tom Pays. he never had his music in an ad. Is that true? It's like a, yeah, luxury. Interesting. Number 15, Evan Dando, what's the best live show you've ever seen?

Prince, every time. If I was four times, it was the best show every time. Prince was the definitely the best live show. That's my answer as well. I saw him at the forum when he played that 21 night stand. It was incredibly played for like two and a half hours. I saw him play for like this little jam and this little place after his real show because he hit it.

Prince drove into the kid. He was waiting for Prince tickets and the kid got killed, waiting in front of Tower Records. My girlfriend in high school worked at Tower Records. And so we got one ticket. And then my friend went to Harvard and we had the first Canon color laser copier. So we made like 20 tickets. And we got 20 people in. It was hilarious.

Oh my God. With a color copier? And he almost got expelled from Harvard. For making bootleg prints tickets? Yeah. Wow. It was really worth it, I thought. Oh, for sure.

To get expelled, to get 20 people in the prints. he was doing God's work. They were hard. Fine. Yeah. All right. Number 16. Evan Dando.

When in your life, well, when in your life were you the most fucked up? Like one time. Like a one crazy story if you have it. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I fucking, um, one time I was like, I was going the wrong way around the world too many times. I was like, stop. And I was like in a bad period in my life.

And I was dope sick. I didn't even know what that was yet. And I took, I was, and I was, and I didn't. sleep and I took acid and when I took E, when I took acid, I took, no, I took Speed the first night, E the next night, then I took a hit of acid and I watched Peggy Sue got married and I went

completely nuts. Yeah, great movie. Like, for real, I tried to go home every morning and I was feeding like coins into the grates and giving out flowers. It was really sad. And then when they, and I was bleeding on the handcuffs like I went to the airport

without a ticket and shit. And these five cops for wrestling me and shit and then their girlfriends were all Lemonheads fans that was okay but then I got really paranoid and that was it. Wow. You do it once. Yeah, one one time. And then Lee Renauda said to me, get it back up on that horse.

I mean you got to keep taking acid. You got to take acid again. You got to get back up on that horse. I'm not a gymnast. No, but I did. Didn't you also watch naked gun during that time? I feel like I read you also watch the naked gun film. Whoa, whoa, yes, I did. I watched naked gun and then I watched Vegas you got married.

Yeah, I did my research. And my friends were like taking me to this old disused child's children's hospital. It was really fucking scary. They're trying to scare me. Let's go the scary way. Oh, yeah. You know, it's funny. Evan, I asked the same question of Lou Barlow and his story, his answer was one night.

94, ready 94. It's got to be writing 94. Yeah, and at the Chateau Marmont. No, he said he hung out with you at the Chateaumarmat. Oh, yeah, a skull, the song of, There is history in this place. He played it for me at Redding saying I wrote this for about that night. And I love Lou.

But he really went the most crazy at Reading 94. And Courtney dosed all the bouncers of all the security. She gave them all secondalls. They were all sleeping. To like knock them out so you guys could party? That's actually brilliant. So he said, take this really great speed pill and they're all asleep. All the security were asleep.

I'm dead. It was pretty funny. dying. You have to admit that's brilliant. That's brilliant. Hilarious. Courtney is nothing, if not, it's like really, really funny. She's so bad. Yeah, she's really funny.

She's so smart. My sister loves Courtney, man. They get along really great. I get along really well with her. She's my friend. She's great. She played with us in London. Yeah, I saw that.

That really fucking moved my heart. That was really cool to see. You guys, you guys playing with Courtney on stage was so cool. Yeah, she's a genius. She's complicated, like yourself. Complicated genius. I don't know, yeah, I don't like to think about it too much. Okay.

All right. Number 17 and number 18, Evan Dando, there are tandem questions. What do you love the most about being famous and what do you hate the most about being famous? And don't say you're not famous. Okay. The best thing about being famous is that people recognize you. The worst thing about being famous is that people recognize you.

Like you give away part of yourself. Do you get recognized? Yeah. Like sometimes. It's really strange. Even in Brazil? They recognize you in Brazil? Maybe especially, because I'm like honorary Brazilian. I have like a low pro medium profile here.

All the come to Brazil people really recognize you when you're there. You mean Chris Wilco's band? Come to Brazil. That's a movement called Come to Brazil. I thought it's come back to Jamaica. That's always the joke when people post tour dates is there's always people being like, come to Brazil, come to Brazil. It's an amazing place to play music, though.

It's the best. Come to Brazil. You know where it's going to go to come from? Green grow the rocks is up Green grow the rushes of It's sweetest time The air I spent We spent some hollow in the last years

It's from that song Because the Scottish guys Come walking through the woods It's the best They love rock music They love guitar rock music It's like Cleveland on steroids Like it's like

You know they love rock alone But like famous What's the best thing about being famous When you're young and like high And shit It seems really funny And fun And shit

And it's like, whatever. Certain people maybe need it because of their upbringing or something, you know? Right. As soon as you vote. It's like being the protagonist, like being the person that actually doing things, rather than the person that's like watching someone else.

Like the main character. Yeah, like the main character, like Webster's. Yeah. Like the definition. No, no, that's not, what I mean is the protagonist. The actor in the drama, like you're the person that's doing something. I don't know.

At its best. that's what it is. It's like you're not fucking looking at anything else. You're just doing it. Yeah. Well, I mean, I don't know if that's true. We don't know what's true.

Sometimes if you're famous, you are. It was true for me. Yeah, no. That's what I'm saying. But I feel like for some people, it's probably like you're watching what everyone else thinks about you, which is that must be really hard to care about that.

No, it's just like, it's simple as that. It's like being the protagonist. Okay. Number 19. This is the one. wild card. I'm going to ask you, when we were doing the episode about the lemonheads,

we kept coming to this theory we had. We coined a phrase for it, no ambition. Wish I'd never heard that. That's okay. You don't have to listen to the podcast about your own band. So the phrase we came up with was no ambition, just vibes. This is how we interpreted your approach to your career. Is that close to correct? No way. You know what? You've develop ambition after a while. About the 13th, 14th time you go to Vienna to play. Like, you know, like, you're doing it for a reason.

You know, you want, you want your music to be heard. I think that's ambition. You know, like, there's no, maybe like, part of like show businessy, like, not pretend you don't, but like, I definitely always wanted, kind of wanted to hear my, and what was that? No ambition,

was vibes. What a vibe? Yeah, of course, awesome, like, everything's vibrations. Yes, of course. that's obvious, but there was also ambition. Okay. Thank you. Setting the record straight. Number 20, Evan, Evendando. When was the last time you cried? Oh, fuck, man. Last night.

Okay. Do you want to tell us what it was about? You don't have to. No, I think crying is really good. I cry quite a bit because I'm very sad. And some friends of mine have died recently and shit like that. Yeah. Okay. No, and you're a Pisces. You're emotional. Number 21. What is your greatest regret? I don't have any regret. Perfect. My greatest regret is getting a hole in one once in golf.

I don't even play golf. That's true. I got one. A really short hole, granted, but I got a hole in one once. And my other one is I caught a thousand pound black marlin. And you regret it? No, I don't regret it at all. It was cool.

I don't have any regrets. Oh. You don't have any regrets? Okay. Number 22. What song would you like to hear just before you die? Fucking don't care. Really don't care about that.

But you love music so much. You don't care at all. what the last song you hear is? No, I mean, that's ridiculous question. It's offensive. It's offensive. Okay. I find that offensive, yes. That's okay. I don't, I know that I'm not going to be able to do that. I don't want to think about that. So I don't take DMT. I want to wait for the real adventure. Death, that's the real, that's the only real adventure in life. Fair enough. Number 23, what do you think about me? What? Think about you. I don't think about you. Well, I mean, just in this last hour or so, no thoughts. I think you seem nice.

You seem nice and smart. You seem smart. My girlfriend seems to like you. I like her. She seems cool too. Thanks, Evan Dando. Okay, last question. She's everything.

Number 24. What do you want to plug? What do you got going on? Is that what you said? Is that seriously the 24th question? It's kind of a, I mean, it's, I'll take you up on it. Okay. It's kind of like you don't really mean it.

Is that right? I'm going to take you up on. I totally mean it. I mean, that's why people come on the show. That's why people come to. I don't really mean about it or anything, but we were, we have a, I have an art show.

I do paintings, right? And we're at Herbs, at Liars Club in Chicago. I'm putting my paintings up on the wall on the 27th, the day after boxing day. Of December. Of December. Okay. Check that out. You guys.

We're worried about beer getting on them on the night. We're going to take them down just before things. Get through crazy. Everyone come see Evans' paintings if you're in Chicago. And thank you so much, Evan Dan, for taking the time. I know you're busy and I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Goodbye. Thanks for listening to 24 question party people, and thanks to my guest, Evan Dando.

You can check out Evans' exhibition of paintings called Got a Black Magic Marker at Liars Club in Chicago up December 27th through 31st. The newest lemonhead single Fear of Living is streaming everywhere now, and they have some shows coming up in Evanston, Illinois, around the new year, with more to come in 2024. For exact dates, check out their Instagram at The Lemonheads Official. This episode was produced by Chris Sutton and Jesse Miller Gordon with help from Justin Sales. Our gorgeous theme song was composed by Heather Fortune. Special thanks to Jenna Jones, Sean Fennacy, Rob Harvilla, and The Monk movie. Which I haven't watched yet, but I am dying of anticipation. Come back every Tuesday for a new episode of 24-question party people on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

24-question party people. Thank you.