Evanston musician Jason Narducy is back with more tales of rock ’n’ roll in ‘Mostly the Van’ part two

Jason Narducy would be the first to tell you that rock ’n’ roll stories are not all biting the heads off bats, snorting human ashes, setting hotel rooms on fire and having some intern pick out all the brown M&Ms in your dressing room.

Sure, the Evanston-reared musician has his “Behind the Music” sagas from touring with Bob Mould, Superchunk and the R.E.M. covers project with Michael Shannon. There’s also his own musical projects Split Single, Verböten and Verbow. But the tales he chooses to share in glorious detail in the second volume of his memoir series “Mostly the Van” (out Nov. 17) are a bit more innocuous. Like, getting Facebook friend requests from George Wendt, sparring with Guided By Voices’ Bob Pollard over Miller Lite vs. Heineken and playing with his band Split Single at the infamous Pizzagate restaurant in Washington, D.C., around the time the 4chan conspiracy went viral in 2016.

And there is one unbelievable story about the time he was in Paris with the band Telekinesis and, fresh from a dire tourist trip to the underground catacombs, he witnessed a motorcyclist catch on fire.  

Still, Narducy said, “I think most people in the general public think that if you are in the music industry, you're either famous or you're a hobbyist, when actually there are tens of thousands of us in here that make a living at music. Those are the stories that interest me the most. … I wanted a human thread.”

The tone is set straight away with the book title. It references a time in 2023 when Narducy was on the road again with fellow musician Kieran McCabe, and as they set foot in a Midwestern coffee shop, the barista immediately knew they were in a band. But not by reading cues of their thrifted duds or sniffing out their rock star je ne sais quoi. No, it was “mostly the van,” as she told them, referencing their beat-up sprinter outside the café windows. Plenty more humble brags ensue in the book.

With such a long touring pedigree, Narducy has plenty of stories, which made it easy to fill a second volume, nearly a year after the first was released last December. Both are on the indie imprint Porchlight Books and edited by former musician turned publishing pro, Freda Love Smith (once of alt rock group Blake Babies), who helps give the book its sharp insider edge. Photos including self-captured Polaroids, some very early iPhone snaps and the work of professionals also fill the pages. That includes two happenstance shoots with a random van outside photographer Nathan Keay’s North Side house that helped capture the essence of the book title. (Narducy donated his trusty set of wheels, Old Bessie, years ago.)

“When I was driving to [Nathan’s] house for another photo shoot, the van was still there — a year later,” Narducy said, dumbfounded. “I want to leave a note for that guy or that gal and just say, ‘Thank you. [Your van] is in a bunch of books.’”

Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times

But it was going back to his teenage days, around the time when the North Shore teenage punks Verböten were making waves, that sets Narducy’s latest collection apart. In the pages, there are modern-day run-ins with Dave Grohl and his mom Virginia (“Ginny” as Narducy calls her), referencing how the Foo Fighters frontman grew up with Verböten singer Tracey Bradford and credits the young group for inspiring him to write songs.

The book also starts with 19-year-old Narducy getting a call at his day job at Record Exchange on Belmont Avenue and finding out he was going to be a father. It ends with his first-born daughter, Alexa (then 8), brushing off Narducy’s “very challenging” gig singing the national anthem at a Bulls game in 2000. “I think almost every parent can relate to having a kid who just does not care about anything they do,” the musician jokes.

But the crown jewel of adolescent tales in the book, without giving too much away, involves Narducy getting yelled at by late sportscaster Tim Weigel (the stepdad of one of his high school friends) for playing music too loud and then getting caught in the crosshairs with Evanston PD for some illicit activity in Dawes Park.

“I was like, this is the first time I’m submitting a story that's not music related. But [Freda] said, ‘I don't know, you going toe to toe with the Evanston Police Department at age 17 is pretty rock ’n’ roll,’” Narducy said with a laugh. “It taps into that kind of teenage rebellion, a rare moment where … the cops were f------ with us, and we won.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

A grown-up Verböten famously reunited in 2024 with gigs at Riot Fest as well as Metro and Salt Shed, respectively opening for Frank Black and Iggy Pop. There are no plans at this point for the group to keep going. 

“I'm in so many bands and sometimes the schedule picks up,” Narducy said. Next, he and Shannon are booked on a 40th anniversary celebration of R.E.M.’s “Document” album this spring. 

“But I hope that there's more shows,” he said, adding, “I really need to do a whole Verböten chapter!”

Narducy is sure there will be more van chronicles to come. “I have no question that there's two more volumes,” he says. “I also haven’t talked [fully] about Bob Mould, who is probably the most important [collaborator] I've had in my career.” But, Narducy said, he wants to wait a few years, gather more stories, find some perspective and of course make more music, like a new Split Single album that’s in the works. At a book event at SPACE on Nov. 15, following a conversation with “Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead, Narducy will also reunite with Alison Chesley (his partner in Verbow) for a special performance of their Jason & Allison project, and who knows where that could lead, too.

If there’s one moment of mistruth in “Mostly the Van (Volume Two),” it’s Narducy talking about needing to think of a retirement plan at some point. In reality, he admitted, “I have no plan. … I’m really fortunate that I love what I do.”