Rumors of My Demise: A Memoir

Evan Dando, front man of The Lemonheads and “poster boy—and prettiest boy—of Gen X” (The New York Times), spills the true story of his band’s tumultuous history and what it was like to be famous in the pre-internet days in this candid, colorful, and unputdownable memoir.

After Kurt Cobain’s passing in 1994, everyone expected Evan Dando to be next. The Lemonheads front man, songwriter and actor started in the ’80s hardcore scene and went on to become a ’90s icon. Think of Evan Dando, and you think of heroin chic, grunge, and celebrity burnout. Perhaps known as much for his partying and boyish good looks, after two gold records and the kind of fame that you just can’t enjoy anymore, the Lemonheads cooled off and life went on.

Dando grew up in Boston, the son of a lawyer and a model, and attended the prestigious Commonwealth School. Fame was never what motivated him but the lure of the wild life proved trickier to refuse. From sneaking into concerts as a child, to sleeping on floors in the punk rock days, to crashing at Johnny Depp’s place in Hollywood, he was right there in the thick of it. So much so, that social media once reported his death.

Now, very much alive, sober, and enjoying a life in South America when he’s not on the road, Evan Dando is going to tell his own story. His memoir will remind readers what was so great about the pre-internet ’90s: the innocence, the access, and the anonymity. Reclaiming the purity and exuberance of his early days and encapsulating the spirit of the era, this candid autobiography presents a portrait of an artist who lives wholly for his music, and one that makes no apologies for doing so.