Evan Dando: “Tim Robbins once mistook me for Kurt Cobain”

“Jeff.”

CORRECT. The boyfriend of Liv Tyler’s waitress character Callie.

“River Phoenix had died and [the filmmakers] said ‘you can have his part’. My vampiric glory said yes! It was wicked fun. I got there and didn’t know who Liv Tyler was – it said Liv Rundgren in her passport – but as I was kissing her, [Aerosmith’s] ‘Sweet Emotion’ was playing in my head and I realised of course!”

Heavy was just what I needed. I stopped drinking and hung out with this really beautiful, intelligent, rock girl.”

Any other roles you’ve enjoyed?

“I turn up the end of [1994 movie] Reality Bites [as Actor Roy] and that’s the best one because it’s really funny.”

“The funniest thing was one time I sat next to Tim Robbins who was saying ‘I really like your music’ – but he’d mistaken me for Kurt Cobain! Afterwards, I saw him on the Oscars red carpet and said ‘How’s it going Tim? Remember me from the airplane?’. And he was like nah, because he really thought I was someone else. Maybe I shouldn’t have poked him in the back of his jacket.”

“But speaking of famous people’s blazers…I once went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Lizzie Jagger. We went with Mick Jagger and got stuck in traffic for 45 minutes and Mick was doing all these hilarious impressions. But it’s so scary getting anywhere with him. Wherever you go, you had to hold onto his blue blazer and he said: ‘Evan, if you don’t hold onto the blazer, I don’t know what’s going to happen to you… [Laughs] HOLD ON!’. That was the night I was going to fight with [Eagles’] Don Henley. He was like: ‘Dando! You and me outside!’ Anyway, I’m over-answering…”

You can’t leave us on a cliffhanger of a punch-up with Don Henley!

“I missed my chance to say ‘Take It Easy’, man!’ [Laughs]. He would have smacked me. He’s a big dude. He wanted to take it outside, but it takes so long to get outside, he couldn’t have remained angry. He just wanted attention – I know the feeling! Next question.”

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