These days Dando's made the decision to see things - straight. "I'm making more of a conscious effort to keep in touch with my roots," he said. "Once you see yourself as you are and see your profession as it is...it's like getting in touch with the things that are important to you and the people that are important, that's what keeps you grounded in reality."

With that in mind, The Lemonheads have taken their show back on the road with a new line-up and a new energy. That means fun, loose performances with Dando showing off his beautiful, pop-perfect vocals on acoustic covers such as Strange and How Will I Know. The Lemonheads have always pretty much been the Evan Dando experience, with him as the main songwriter backed by a revolving door of musicians and collaborators. Dando says he likes the fact that he's constantly working with different players, "It's kind of fun getting together with new people each time. That's sort of what The Lemonheads are about and I like that. I'm really happy with the line-up I have now. This is the happiest I've been since the early days."

So will we expect to hear about Dando's every move again? No way! He says he won't go for the full-on publicity push this time around, "I don't really care for it, I sort of made a conscious decision with this record not to do a bunch of press. I'm never again going to do that whole poster boy, photo-shoot type of thing that I did a lot of over the past few years. That's bullshit. It's not me."

Take one look at Dando and it's easy to see why he might be a press darling. His pretty-boy-next-door good looks do make magazines sell and have earned him sex symbol status. To mention of that he replies, "Ugh, stop it!" But how does he see himself? "Well, I don't look in the mirror and see one of People magazine's most beautiful people! Everybody has distorted images of themselves. I don't really get what the ballyhoo is about. But I've always done well with women my whole life. So I guess that's a blessing!"

Which brings us to another point, whether it's the looks or the assumptions that go with it, Dando has also garnered a bit of a reputation with the ladies...a womanizer perhaps? "I am NOT a womanizer!" he exclaims. Alright then, maybe it's just that he loves women and they just happen to love him back. "I just like to TALK to women! Really, comparatively speaking, I've had very little sex compared to a lot of my peers!" he laughs.

So now the new and improved and more low-key, Dando can be found doing what makes him the most happy, playing his songs and taking it easy with his family and close friends at his home in Martha's Vineyard. Yes, it's the same place President Clinton retreats to. When asked if Mr. President has ever come over to borrow a cup of sugar Dando replied, "No, but he stays with some close friends of mine. I've never met him but I want to meet Chelsea. The braces are off, I gotta meet her!"

He's back indeed!

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