Evan Dando: Interview Karl Whitney Muse.ie, Saturday 5th May 2007 - - - - Just after the Lemonheads' arrival in Ireland for this week's tour, I called frontman Evan Dando in his hotel room in Cork. The interview went fine. At least, until he hung up on me. Hey Evan, how are you doing? 'Good. We just got here from Los Angeles last night, and we're just a little bit jetlagged.' You were just at the Coachella Festival, how was that? 'It was actually a really nice atmosphere. I'd never been out there before - we've been to a lot of festivals in the US, but never that one. It's out in the desert near Palm Springs, near where there are a lot of communities of older people and stuff. It's right in the desert, it's really like an oasis.' Who else was playing there? 'Willie Nelson was there, Roky Erickson too. We didn't really go out for the whole thing. We were only there when we were playing. Let's see: Rage Against the Machine got together, they did their first show. It was really fun playing it.' So are the Lemonheads touring with the line-up on the record (including Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez of 80s punk act The Descendents)? 'Actually, Bill and Karl had planned to tour, but Bill had to go and do another record, so I got some friends of mine from this band I had on tour with me before called the Pieces. They were my first choice when I heard Bill and Karl couldn't do it, so it's great they were able to do it.' So are you having a good time on the road? 'Yeah we're having a great time. I think it's almost approaching 7 months now, and it's been really fun.' Do you actually enjoy touring though? 'It's more the kind of thing you can get up dreading it but then when it starts it's fine. It's easy to get down on it cos you're supposed to not like it if you're a musician. I tend to enjoy it for the most part. We haven't been home a whole lot on this tour - we've just been pretty flat out. We're going to get a break after this tour, but no: I'm not complaining at all.' What are your plans for when you finish this tour - will you be doing any recording? 'More like writing and stuff. We're going to take a vacation and go out to Martha's Vineyard for awhile.' You live in New York, right [with his wife of 7 years, Elizabeth Moses]? 'Yeah - I've been living there for something like 14 years now. I like New York a lot: it's not the best place to write, I think, but it's a fun place to live.' How long did it take to record your most recent album ('The Lemonheads')? 'We recorded it over quite a bit of time, actually, in little 5-7 day periods. It was really fun. Karl and Bill - the way they play, they're incredible musicians. Bill doesn't make any mistakes, and that's what usually takes the longest: the drums.' How did you meet up with Bill and Karl? 'In 2004 Karl was playing in a band we brought on tour with us, and at that point we started talking about putting together the band.' Do you think there's a big difference between your 2003 solo album 'Baby I'm Bored', and your latest album? 'Not completely different, but a little more extroverted. It's louder, I guess, more rock. I think they're two different sides of the same coin.' Would you ever consider putting out your records by yourself? 'I've never done anything like that. I think it's probably smart - it's getting to the point where that would be a wise thing to do. I may end up doing it that way eventually.' Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols strikes me as a particularly business-savvy musician - you worked with him once on a song, didn't you? 'We've come across each other over the years, and we worked on this one song ['The Last High' - from the Dandy Warhols' 2003 album 'Welcome to the Monkey House']. So, yeah - he's a nice fellow. Do you find touring with the Lemonheads now a more satisfying experience than, let's say, back in 1993, when there was an intense media spotlight on you? 'Sure, you know - whatever. Go ahead and write whatever you want. I don't know what you're trying to get at. I'm all set man, bye, bye.' [Phoneline goes dead] To read this piece on the Muse.ie site click here -------- Home | About