Yes, the rumors are true: ’90s indie rock heartthrob Evan Dando is set to make a cameo appearance on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs on Wednesday, February 13 at 8 p.m. PST.
Dando isn’t even playing himself, but has an actual role: Joey Wawa, who shows up to audition for Erica Goldberg’s band, The Dropouts. While Wawa doesn’t make the cut, some young kid shows up and plays the 1988 Lemonheads tune “Mallo Cup” to land the spot. Ironic, don’t you think?
Still, one has to wonder: How the hell did Evan Dando end up on The Goldbergs?
“Evan Dando is the first cousin of my best friend Chad Kremp, who grew up across the street from me in Jenkintown,” revealed the show’s executive producer, Adam F. Goldberg, in a press statement. It’s great timing, with The Lemonheads dropping a brand new album, Varshons 2, tomorrow.
“The entire Kremp family often appears on the show both in real life and as characters. They are like my second family. It was always crazy that Chad’s first cousin was a rock star which began in the late ’80s,” Goldberg added. “I have memories of watching Evan play at weddings or family gatherings, and for a kid like me from a tiny town, it was just mind blowing. I followed Evan’s career through the ’90s and went to many Lemonheads concerts in NYC. Since he was my best friend’s family, he always felt like my family in a weird way. Since The Goldbergs is a show about my childhood, naturally I wanted to bring Evan into it because he was there [with us in the ’80s].”
OK, wow. We weren’t expecting that. While we go wipe our eyes from a completely unrelated incident, please enjoy this clip of Evan Dando making a cameo on next week’s episode.
