Evan Dando: ‘I wanted to try heroin because of William Burroughs and Keith Richards’

Evan Dando, the Nineties grunge heartthrob of The Lemonheads, does not seem to have looked at his life as a tragedy; as a farce, perhaps, because he has never been shy about admitting to his most outlandish disasters – but never a tragedy. From there, Dando threw himself into Boston’s “f***ing skanky” hardcore punk scene, going to see bands such as SS Decontrol, Gang Green, and Jerry’s Kids. “I was in a lot of pain about my parents’ divorce,” says Dando, who was 10 when they split. He eulogises the Polish LSD he tried in Brazil and admits to “scamming” doctors to get ADHD medications It’s hard not to warm to Dando. “I’m, like, really chill.” Evan Dando’s memoir, ‘Rumours of My Demise’, is scheduled for release on 1 May 2025