Oh the many faces of Evan Dando.
Growing up there wasn't an internet to give a fan IE me as a teen the ability to look up a favorite band and in an instant read about their history no less skim through picture after picture of them. Sure there were photos on their record art but the only way I really got a good look at the band was live.
Even then Evan's face was often half covered in hair and I am going to be honest here, his face often carried a sort of pouting space case expression and it never screamed hot dude to me. I was a straight up fan of his music and his catalog of songs and covers. As ridiculous as it sounds it never once crossed my mind that he was a male model sort. The first 4 Lemonheads' records pretty much lived in my car and in turn I have a lot of memories attached to the band and associate them with my youth...and driving around....lot's of driving around because living in NJ at the time and not being old enough to go to bars and stuff meant my car was the only place that was all mine. Parent free and contained wheels which equaled the freedom to go and do whatever.
Anyhow it is 20 some years later and as I prep for this Lemonheads theme show I am amazed at Evan's life story, the drug history, and believe it or not, the thousands of pictures depicting him as a definite and obvious pretty boy - something that I missed back in the day. I wonder now had I the access to all these images and personal history as a teenager, if that would have affected my interest in the band. Would the press had spoken louder to me than the music itself?
When I read quips about the new Lemonheads record which is a collection of covers, I was interested to see the guest line up which includes Kate Moss and friggin Liv Tyler. I was left scratching my head but now that I have done my Evan homework it all makes sense. Of course this talented super pretty sex, drugs, and rock and roll pin up boy has bonded with the rest of the pretty population that also sits on magazine covers and stars in movies. Duh. It really couldn't make any more sense now that I have all the pieces of the puzzle and tonight we will put the musical pieces together for you which makes for a pretty damn fine show. Cover songs a-go-go, Husker Du, Mission of Burma, Crime, The Blake Babies, and lot's of songs from the Lemonheads catalog.
Oh, Evan Dando. Between the ages of 12-14 I had a collage of "cute boys" on my bedroom wall. Evan Dando made several appearances including a photo of him shirtless and covered in lemons from a Select magazine that my friend brought me back from England! Le sigh!
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