by Evan Dando has publicly denied long-standing rumors of an affair with Courtney Love. He revealed that she fabricated the story and told it to her husband Kurt Cobain, as reported by People.
In his new book “Rumors of My Demise,” Dando addresses the false claims and their impact on his potential friendship with Cobain.
“F*ck, Courtney! Why did you do that?” Dando said. “I thought it was a terrible thing to say to Kurt. [Courtney] laughed it off. How could we ever be friends if in the back of his mind he was always wondering if I’d slept with his wife?”
The musician went on to clarify what actually happened between them.
“Nothing happened between us, but she told people that it had, and they believed her,” he continued. “I would tell her no and she would sulk about it for a while and I’d avoid her.”
The revelation sheds new light on the dynamics within the grunge music scene of the 1990s and the complications caused by the fabricated affair story.
The false rumor had lasting consequences that extended beyond mere gossip. Dando stated in interviews that Love herself started the rumor in a likely attempt to make Cobain jealous, as TwentyFourBit noted. Dando emphasized that he was never attracted to Love and described her behavior as manipulative.
“I made Kurt cry last night,” Love reportedly told Dando, TwentyFourBit reported.
The situation was further complicated by Love’s reported obsession with the Lemonheads frontman. Love was reportedly obsessed with Evan Dando, even encouraging her daughter Frances to refer to him as “Daddy,” which reportedly upset Cobain, as detailed in accounts from the era. The persistent rumors were never substantiated. Dando has consistently denied any romantic involvement.
Dando has expressed that the false rumor deeply affected him because it contributed to the deteriorating relationship between himself and Kurt Cobain. Cobain went to his grave misinformed about the alleged affair, TwentyFourBit revealed. This anecdote underscores how such gossip had real emotional consequences for those involved, exacerbating tensions within the 1990s alternative rock scene.
The memoir “Rumors of My Demise” appears to be Dando’s attempt to reclaim his narrative after years of being associated with sensationalized stories about his personal life. The book directly addresses and denies the alleged affair with Courtney Love, as AOL documented. The book’s title itself may be a nod to the persistent myths and gossip surrounding his personal life, including the Love-Cobain drama.
