*Interviews/Articles* most recent- to oldest (some of my favs)

Tales From the Pit
Spin Magazine
July 2001
Musicians reminisce about the concerts that made them laugh, cry and most commonly, puke.

Stephan Jenkins
Third Eye Blind

First show: "Thin Lizzy, with my big brother, when I was a little kid. It was at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, a really shitty place for a concert. I was probably too young to be there. There were girls, and they seemed like giants to me. They smelled like sweat and perfume. I didn't know anything about girls, but I liked that smell a lot. During 'Cowboy Song,' Phil Lynott sang 'And Imove my fingers up and down,' and he sort of flexed his middle finger - finger-banging, basically. I didn't know what that was or what that meant, but the girls around me went insane. They violently dived over me to get closer to the stage. I was a little kid, and I was just like, 'Yeah, this is good!'"

Combat Rock: "When I was about 14, I saw the Clash. I was pushed up close, and people were stage-diving, and there was this sort of glorious, happy, violent chaos at work. It was like an indoctrination to the pain of the pit. Iguess I was a bit afraid, but I was also like, 'Well, actually, bring it; I like my bruises.' It was a sweet kind of pain."

Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins Declares, 'We Rock Hard, But We Suck'
CDNow Online
May 8, 2001

Third Eye Blind singer Stephan Jenkins was in rare form Saturday (May 5) night at the tiny Magic Bag club in Ferndale, Mich., going off about Jay-Z, radio censors, and being a rock star. "Let me tell you something about becoming big, gigantic, international rock stars. We never get to hang out in clubs," said Jenkins, whose latest album, Blue, peaked at No. 40 on The Billboard 200. Third Eye Blind's acoustic gig in front of a 300-person crowd was part of a private show sponsored by Detroit's WKQI-FM. Lee Ann Womack and SoulDecision also performed. Wearing rumpled clothing and a baseball hat, Jenkins took to task critics and fans who ripped the band for writing the poppy "Never Let You Go," the first hit off Blue. "We caught a lot of shit for this song. We rock hard, but we suck," he said mocking critics. "We did it just for fun. It's not our fault we write catchy tunes." The show is one of the few gigs that Third Eye Blind is going to do this year. It is instead going to take most of 2001 off to "disappear and hide out. In the process of the year, we're going to go off and write the best record. Sometimes, it's just a melody in your heart, and it's there," he said. "If you have a tape recorder, turn it off. I know some of you like to do that. But don't tape this song. It's not ready yet," he said. He took the opportunity to test the new song, the wah-wah heavy "I Keep on Forgetting Myself," which uses the same rap-like vocal pattern as "Losing a Whole Year," one of the band's early hits. Perhaps the most curious part of the night came when Jenkins introduced "1000 Julys." "It's not meant to be acoustic," he said before mysteriously adding, "Did you see how Jay-Z ripped me off and fucked me up? Anyway, this is a song called '1000 Julys.'"

3EB Go Organic on Next LP
RollingStone Online
May 7, 2001
Band eyeing a spring 2002 release

Between the festivals and package tours, it seems that every band with a disc out in the last decade is on the road between June and September. However, one band you won't see this summer is Third Eye Blind. Backstage at the Fan Nation concert in Irvine, California, frontman Stephan Jenkins says his group will be "holed up for the summer, writing and recording a new disc."


While Third Eye Blind are still in the early stages of prepping their third album (and follow-up to 1999's Blue), Jenkins says they have written enough material to give an early hint as to what fans can expect. "This one is going to be a more organic rock record," says Jenkins, who plans to produce the album himself. "We'll be getting together live in a room and recording as a group."

He adds though that when that happens the tunes can change quite a bit. "A lot of the arrangements come about when we get in the studio and start playing together."

And when does he expect to have the record done? "It should be out next spring," he says. "But no promises."

Once and Future Kinds
Rolling Stone Magazine
March 15, 2001

Run-DMC
Crown Royal
Arista

There are bands that change the world - and then there's RunDMC, who changed it twice. Their 1984 debut, RunDMC, claimed the album format as hip-hop turf, putting B-boy cool at the center of the pop universe; their 1986 masterpiece, Raising Hell, made everything else in rock & roll sound like a sucker's bet, exploding with the musical innovation that inspired hip-hop's late-Eighties glory years. ("Walk This Way" was the fluke hit video, but it was only the fifth- or sixth-best song on Raising Hell, and it can't compare with the Britney-and-Justin Super Bowl version.) While the Reverend Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay may never scale those visionary heights again, Crown Royal finds them still sticking together through hard time with stubborn loyalty that just adds to their admirable mystique.

Crown Royal uses the same musical strategy as their minor 1993 comeback, Down With the King: guest artists. Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst brings the rock, Kid Rock brings the roll and Method Man puts another notch in his mic stand, obviously racing to top Biz Markie as the all-time gratuitous-cameo king. But as on Down With the King, RunDMC prove their old-school mastery without adding anything new to it; the tracks sink or swim depending on what the guest artist felt like bringing to the studio that day. Fans will be grateful for the two real head-bangers: "Take the Money and Run" funks up the old Steve Miller Band ditty until it begs for a quick death, complete with "Rock Box" samples and Everlast's singing; "Rock Show" revamps "Kings of Rock" with production and vocals from - get this - Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins, whose heretofore well-hidden hip-hop affinities shine bright enough to make his life sound semi-charmed indeed. Since it's the rock guests who work hard to salvage Crown Royal, maybe next time RunDMC should just go all the way and make a whole album with some rock band that's looking for a new vocal approach. Pray for Rage Against the Machine; settle for Van Halen.

Stephan Jenkins
Las Vegas Sun
February 27, 2001
Third Eye Blind performed at a private bash at the Hard Rock Hotel this weekend, and lead singer Stephan Jenkins may have gotten more than he bargained for post-show.

Jenkins, who famously dated (and recently broke up with) actress/stunner Charlize Theron, teased two strippers in the front row at the pricey Steve Madden soiree. During the last song Jenkins knelt onstage, pointed to the two buxom beauties', um, buxoms, and gave them a thumbs-up.

The rowdy crowd applauded the dames and the singer's up-front rock 'n' roll approach. Encouraged, Jenkins made an illicit proposal to the duo, seemingly forgetting that he was onstage and that the crowd, despite the absence of a microphone, could still understand the message by reading his lips. Oops.

I guess the ladies weren't offended by the offer. After the show, which was held in a luxe tent set up in the hotel's parking lot, the dancing divas were spotted slipping by security and entering Jenkins' private backstage area. He must not have minded -- they still hadn't left by the time the party ended. Ah, the life of the rock star.

By the by, the Madden bash, which was to thrown to kick off the popular shoemaker's men's line, ran the NYC-based designer somewhere in neighborhood of $350,000. Nice. Guess his shop at the Aladdin's Desert Passage is doing alright.

Charlize's Third Eye Must Be Blind
New York Magazine
February 2001
Do movie stars get dumped like real people? Just ask Charlize Theron. According to a music-industry insider, the 25-year-old actress and former farmhand decided it was high time to tie the knot with boyfriend Stephan Jenkins, lead singer of Third Eye Blind, whom she had met three years ago. So, according to our source, the natural blonde slapped her hunk with an ultimatum: Marry me or it's all over. But the rock star called her bluff. Instead of skipping down the aisle, the 36-year-old skipped town. "He said he's just not ready to get married," says our source. "He went off to Sundance and left her to attend the Golden Globes with her mother." The starlet's rep confirms the couple's split, but would not comment further on Theron's personal life. Jenkins's rep declined to comment, but the rocker seems to have had no problem recovering his composure: Shortly after the breakup, he was spotted at a hip L.A. club having drinks with one of the dancers from a Third Eye Blind video.

Third Eye Blind Gets Serious
Tiger Beat
December 2000
"ROCK ON... Third Eye Blind was one of the few rock bands that have stopped by The Hi-Fi Room. Other rockers that jammed on the show include Eve 6, Stroke 9 and The Hippos."

Tiger Beat: What was your most memorable performance?
Stephan: We played a festival show for about 200,000 people in Atlanta and it was during our off season. Most of the audience knew the words and it was a surprise to me, and it made me realize what an impact our band has made. This was last summer.

Tiger Beat: Which bands or singers would you like to collaborate with?
Stephan: We've been talking with Fred Durst about doing something with Limp Bizkit - that's already something we are working on. In the long term, I would love to work with Macy Gray or D'angelo.

Tiger Beat: Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
Stephan: It's Third Eye Blind--24/7.

Guitarist Sues His Former Band Members
Third Eye Blind Accused of Conspiracy to Oust Him
San Francisico Chronicle
November 1, 2000
The ousted guitarist of Bay Area rock band Third Eye Blind is suing his former band members, management, attorneys and record label in federal court in Oakland, claiming that they conspired to kick him out.

The lawsuit filed by Kevin Cadogan, 30, of Berkeley, will be the subject of a hearing Friday before U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken.

Third Eye Blind has produced two multi-platinum albums, including a 1997 self-titled debut that included the No. 1 "Semi-Charmed Life."

Cadogan said he co-wrote 14 of the songs on the two albums but was dismissed from the band in January after playing at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. His firing came days after he reportedly refused to sign off on a $1 million deal from Elektra Entertainment Group Inc.

Cadogan filed suit in June, saying band founder Stephan Jenkins did not give him 50 percent ownership of the band as promised in 1993. Jenkins was given 100 percent of the shares, without Cadogan's knowledge, as the band increased in popularity and caught the attention of record labels, the suit said.

Stephen Kroft, a Los Angeles attorney representing Third Eye Blind, said, "My clients do not believe there is any validity to any of Mr. Cadogan's claims." David Evans, a San Francisco attorney, said the claims against the band's attorneys were "without merit."

The lawsuit, alleging breach of contract, conspiracy to perpetuate a fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and negligence, said the band tried to minimize Cadogan's role while producing its second album, "Blue," last year.

"The efforts were cited as limiting the number of songs written by the plaintiff, altering the master recordings, disparaging and mocking references, minimizing album credits accorded to plaintiff, eliminating him from the album artwork and preventing him from reviewing the record," the suit said.

"He was the creative driving force behind this band," an attorney for Cadogan, Tom Swift of Chicago, said yesterday. "It appears that Stephan Jenkins couldn't handle the fact that Kevin was due his rights on this."

The defendants have denied any wrong doing and have asked Wilken to dismiss several counts in the lawsuit, saying they lack details and were brought forward after the statute of limitations for fraud had run out. Cadogan, voted songwriter of the year at the 1999 and 2000 California Music Awards, now has his own band, called Cousin Kevin.

Third Eye Blind's Soul Searching
Circus Magazine
October 2000
Third eye blinds catchy and melodic post-grunge made the groups first single, "semi charmed life" into a hit in the spring of 1997 and instantly turned the quartet from San Francisco into stars in the U.S. T he career of 3eb is a bit strange, in America they are stars who fill stadiums while in Europe they are almost unknowns. More than just unusual, especially since stars form both sides of the big pond seem to do well in America and Europe but in the case of 3eb it can be easily explained: they neglected Europe almost completely and u can hardly expect your albums to do well if you don't bother to make at least an appearance and try to win fans. The quartet from San Francisco seems to be aware of the problem. Additionally their frontman Stephan Jenkins has the reputation of being a bit of a diva, but thankfully he wasn't in one of his moods. He explains that it bothers them that their success so far has been limited to the U.S., but they are seriously planning to change it now. " Of course it is a bit of a problem, but we decided to change our strategy and release blue 6 months later in Europe, that would give us a better chance to promote it in Europe as well. Of course it bothered us a bit that we never had the same sort success in Europe as we're having all over the states, especially since we're definitely an American rock band but a lot of our influences are European."

Stephan starts rattling off the influences of 3eb and he's right, there are suprisingly many English bands. " We do have a lot of European influences, starting from the clash to led Zeppelin and I think they r pretty clear in our music."

Another one of their influences is punk, but Stephan doesn't want 3eb to be seen as just another punk band. " I get so fed up with the wanna be grungers or the noise poppers who automatically look down their noses at anybody whose able to master a musical instrument. Just because punk rock is 1 of our influences, it doesn't mean that we're ignorant who can't play our instruments."

" A lot of people might claim that u cant have punk influences and be able to master an instrument, but if u look at the clash, they were definitely punk and the certainly knew how to play."

3eb are sticking to their roots but they r certainty moved away from their usual sound and it seems as if their disenchantment with the music scene and the press manifested itself in their sound. Blue sounds cooler, more soothing and more low key. It just doesn't seem to fit 2gether with the artwork on the cover, a blazing sun. Something Jenkins obviously doesn't like to hear!

" Hold on a moment! The cover shows a sun! In my eyes that is a blazing fire that promises to soothe at the same time! A big soothing fire! It might sound controversial but it certainly isn't. It describes exactly the feelings we had when we recorded the album, exactly the feeling that we are trying to get across."

" It a wilder record, I think. My sort of intent was to get at the glory about playing live. I wasn't trying to make a live sounding record; I was just trying to capture the feeling. We got that on songs like wounded, which just gets up and goes. And after being out of the studio for 2 years, their was a real desire to get in their and experiment. As I said before, something blazing and soothing at the same time, that was our intention and I think we managed to get our point across."

" If you listen to it closely, you'll realize that the sort of upbeat songs of the album make you feel really great, while the sad songs, the kind of bluesy songs really get u down. The album is a bit of a wild card that's playing with your mood and that's something bands try to achieve but never quite manage to create."

3eb went through couple of changes; one of the changes was the fact that guitarist and co songwriter Kevin Cadogan left the band and was replaced by Tony Fredianelli. Stephan Jenkins doesn't want to talk about it and sounds grumpy when asked what happened!

" A band has to be healthy to be able to function.... sh*t happens and we found a rather inspiring replacement." Jenkins talks about Tony and explains that he's an old friend of the band who was a member before Kevin joined.

" Tony is a good friend and we all know him for ages, he's been a member of 3eb for about one and a half years before Kevin joined the band and now he's back and everything is great. Believe me, we're having a lot of fun, more fun than we had before and that's what counts."

" I think we r also having an extremely broad audience, like I see people with Korn T-shirts at our shows and our music is completely different, that's a good thing ya know, it means that our music doesn't just appeal to 1 group of people but that it appeals to a variety of people. Id hate to paint myself into a corner and limit myself."

3eb's Jenkins Disses Britney
KROQ Online
September 27, 2000
Now that Third Eye Blind have completed their extensive US tour, frontman Stephan Jenkins can get back to his favorite activities -- snuggling up with gal-pal actress Charlize Theron and mouthing off about other pop stars.

In a recent interview, the ever-quotable singer took a jab at Britney Spears and the legions of pop teen queens who influence young girls with "a stripper's appeal," fake breasts and all, Jenkins told the New York Post. "You don't have to watch out for your kid playing with a toy gun. You have to watch out for your daughter playing with lipstick."

Next up for Jenkins is his silver screen debut in "So You Wanna Be a Rock Star" (formerly titled "Metal Gods"). Directed by Stephen Herek ("Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure"), the film revolves around Chris "Izzy" Coles, played by Mark Wahlberg. Based on a true story, the die-hard Judas Priest fan realizes a lifelong dream when he replaces Rob Halford as the band's lead singer.

In the film, Jenkins plays a rival rocker who picks a fight with Wahlberg in a parking lot after a concert. Wahlberg wanted Jenkins to have a bigger role, but due to a hectic 3EB touring schedule, Jenkins opted for a cameo.

"Rock Star," which also stars Jennifer Aniston, is expected to hit theaters some time next year. In the meantime, Theron is hosting a party in LA for Jenkins today, his 36th birthday.

Charlize's Stormy Love
US Weekly
September 18 ,2000
The good people of Minnesota now know more than they want to about Charlize Theron and Stephan Jenkins' tempestuous relationship. The Cider House Rules actress had apparently split up with the Third Eye Blind singer in July, only to reconcile in time for the band's video shoot for their song "Deep Inside of You" in Minneapolis later that month. But the couple's breaking up and making up continued, often in front of hundreds of onlookers. So many delays were caused by Theron and Jenkins's explosive arguments - and steamy public rapprochement's - that at times the stressed-out production crew was reduced to tear, according to insiders on the set. One bad blowup occurred when Jenkins apparently wanted model Lilani Bishop to lick his face from his chin to his nostrils in the video. When the $20, 000-a-day cover girl initially said no, Jenkins spent time in her trailer, convincing her to change her mind - and ticking off Theron, who abruptly left the set, saying "I don't want to watch a sinking ship," according to sources. We hear that she returned, though, in time to slap Jenkins on the face during a spat about the way a stylist had parted his hair. The rocker responded by smacking her on the rear, say witnesses. Jenkins didn't return our calls. Theron's rep denies the claims and said the only slapping took place in a scene in the video with Jenkins and another actress.

Pine Knob pop-rock show overshadowed by theatrics
The Michigan Daily
July 24, 2000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It was a pop-music lover' s dream: Splender, Vertical Horizon and Third Eye Blind. These three bands dominate modern pop radio stations with their catchy riffs, effortless lyrics and fashionable good looks. Critics have long bemoaned that these teen sensation "rock" bands are nothing but over-produced, under-talented overnight sensations doomed for the memory hole of bad garage bands. But Wednesday night the ante was raised at Pine Knob as the question arose: Do they have what it takes to play live?

The answer came not from the bands themselves, but rather from the middle-American, scantily-clad, bad-boy wannabe crowd of drunk teenagers filling the seats of the stadium. It seemed as if they unanimously agreed to put up a cardboard sign to summarize their thoughts: "Will scream for anything. Talent not required."

The audience paid little attention when Splender hit the stage for a 30-minute set. With a half-filled stadium, a few die-hard fans sang along to the songs off their recent album "Halfway Down the Sky." Splender continued with a handful of solidly performed songs before finishing with the hit, "Yeah, Whatever." The band played skillfully with energy, but seemed disappointed with their restricted time. After the show, lead singer Waymon Boone commented, "It's not any different than anything else we've been doing. We've been beating our asses doing this so long that it's just part of it. We know that going into it."

Splender's longtime friends Vertical Horizon marched on-stage with little fanfare. Sporting shades to block the glare from the sun low in the sky, the group rolled through songs off their "Everything You Want" CD. Again, only a handful in the crowd even bothered standing up. Bald and boisterous lead singer Matt Scannell commendably tried to raise audience participation with fiery, fast-fingered solos and plenty of banter with the audience.

Boone, along with Splender lead guitarist Jonathan Svec, watched the show backstage. Afterwards, Svec commented on the audience's ability to transform a mellow routine into an energetic show. "We can play well and sound good, but until they get into it, it doesn't really matter. When you've got people spread out all over the place, [only] one or two people standing up, the sun's still up... it's a little bit different if there were no seats and everybody down at the front; you can feel the energy of the crowd. The fans are the most important thing!"

Svec's words echoed through Vertical Horizon's set. As soon as the opening notes to "Everything You Want" resonated through the speakers, the entire audience at Pine Knob rose to their feet and sang along. The song was not played better than any others, but it was a recognizable radio hit. Without it, the audience would have erroneously ignored the engaging band.

After two under-appreciated artists had left the stage, Third Eye Blind finally arrived to thunderous applause. Almost immediately the band ripped through songs off their 1999 release, "Blue," even playing their current hit, "Never Let You Go" early in the night. The song marked a highlight as it was the best played song of their entire set with crisp vocals and solid mixing of instrumentation. By now, 3EB had the crowd's emotions in their grasps.

Ultra-cool Tony Fredianelli (lead guitar) stood proudly at the edge of his amplifier in stark contrast to the immature Stephen Jenkins who pranced around the stage brimming with arrogance. A half-hour into their set, Jenkins jumped into the crowd and ran onto a table between the lawn and pavilion. Completely choreographed, Jenkins screamed lyrics while taunting the young crowd. Amidst admiration of himself, a roadie appeared beside him with acoustic guitar ready in hand. Jenkins immediately sang the first verses to their 1997 smash hit, "Jumper." Although the song was poorly played, it was perfect timing, as the audience was primed for excitement. If 3EB had been replaced with Splender or Vertical Horizon at that point in the show, the crowd' s reaction to their music would have been as great, if not greater. But Third Eye Blind had mastered complete control over the audience, and the audience didn't care. Even after Jenkins screamed through unintelligible, loud, thrashing no-name songs, the audience applauded an d danced with joy. Proving himself quite the exhibitionist, Jenkins even climbed into one of two rolling drum-sets and sang along as he and drummer Brad Hargreaves were wheeled around stage like little children in out-grown strollers. By the time 3EB finished their set, no one really cared what they were playing.

Third Eye Blind's dramatic, dazzling and deafening set only proved how the quality of their material was inconsequential to the entertainment they provided. The fact that Stephan Jenkins and company played well, with passion or with talent didn't matter. In fact, it's hard to tell if they did. However, if the concert's order of musical performance had been reversed, Splender may have left the stage with roaring applause as well. Some fans left the show, not thinking how badly 3EB had played, but rather how talented Splender and Vertical Horizon seemed next to their counterpart.

But in big, bold letters, the ticket stub said it all: "MGD MUSIC PRESENTS THIRD EYE BLIND." The hard-working acts of Splender and Vertical Horizon weren't even mentioned; but beer and 3EB's theatrics stole the night. As U2 front-man Bono once said justifying his over-the- top antics in concert: "It's all bullsh*t, man, but that's entertainment."

They couldn't see Third Eye Blind's Talent
Toledo Blade
July 16, 2000
BY David Yonke
Every time "Semi-Charmed Life" hits the airwaves, some record company officials probably kick themselves.

They're the people who turned down Third Eye Blind, the San Francisco quartet that produced that monster hit and who will perform tomorrow night at the Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre. "We got passed on by I don't know how many labels, five or six or more," said Arion Salazar, the band's bass player. "We had so many so-calle'big chances' and each time we got rejected." Sylvia Rhone, Elektra's chairman and CEO, overruled the objections of her talent scouts and offered Third Eye Blind a contract in 1996. She has said she was "haunted" by the songs on the group's demo tape and was convinced they had hit potential.

Salazar recognized that same rare talent when he first heard the group's singer- guitarist, Stephan Jenkins, performing as a solo artist in a Bay Area club in 1993. "Stephan is the only person I'd met on the [San Francisco] scene who was all about the songs. It was just about the song, not the genre or style. I walked into the club and his songs just grabbed me." The rejections from record labels made Salazar and Jenkins - with Tony Fredianelli on guitar and Brad Hargreaves on drums - more determined to polish their songwriting and performing skills.

"It was really a good thing that we didn't get signed right away because we weren't ready yet," Salazar said. "We didn't have the kind of repertoire we needed."

Once Third Eye Blind got rolling, the band's momentum was unstoppable. The group's self-titled debut disc, released in 1997, sold 4 million copies. Later that year they opened stadium concerts for the Rolling Stones and U2. Their first album produced another hit single, "How's It Going to Be," and their 1999 follow-up, "Blue," has sold more than a million copies and spawned the hit song "Never Let You Go." The quartet contributed a tune, "Deep Inside of You," to the soundtrack of the new Jim Carrey movie, Me, Myself & Irene.

Jenkins, the charismatic and controversial frontman, has become a familiar face in the celebrity pages for his relationship with Hollywood hottie Charlize Theron. He also will make his acting debut in the film Metal God, with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston, due for release later this year.

Salazar is not envious of Jenkins' publicity.

"That's not why I'm in the business. That's not what I'm in music for. I want to make music. I want to make art. I want to be happy with it, proud of it. And if people like it, that's great. "As far as being a face, getting the trade magazines and the celebrity columns, that's fine for somebody else to play that role," Salazar said. "I wouldn't want it. Anyway, Stephan's better looking than the rest of the band - we're all ugly."

Jenkins stirred up a hornet's nest last year with comments he made to Entertainment Weekly about the band's tour with the Rolling Stones.

"I don't want to slight the Stones . . . but most nights they [played terrible], and we could have played their set better than they played it. And that's reality," Jenkins asserted. Salazar had a different impression.

"I'm a huge Stones fan and a huge U2 fan. It was amazing just to be able to watch them play a few nights in a row. And it was inspiring. Especially U2. U2 was kind of an important learning experience for me for two reasons: Those guys have an incredibly loyal road crew. That's because they've been working with the same group of people from the inception. From the top guys down, they're sweet and good to their people. People will do anything for them, go to the death for them. It's a misconception that an entertainer has to be a jerk to make it in the business.

Second, they lost a ton of money on that [PopMart] tour, but they still did it and they killed every night. They made a lot of people happy. Nobody does that anymore. It's so inspiring. "As for the Stones - they're the Stones! You cannot mess with what they've done. Whatever they're doing, what are you going to say? They wrote 'Gimme Shelter' amongst millions of other songs. They put out 'Beggar's Banquet!' " he said with obvious awe.

The only time the band members fret about Jenkins' high profile is when it makes people think he is solely responsible for Third Eye Blind's success.

"I hope people understand that the music is definitely a product of the band and not just him," Salazar said.

While Jenkins is the main songwriter, "Blue," released in November, featured more band collaborations than on the first CD.

"I had a much bigger input in the making of this one," Salazar said. "I was the guy in the studio pushing everything along."

"Slow Motion," one of the songs Third Eye Blind wrote for "Blue," caused a rift with the record label. The lyrics deal with guns, drugs, and violence and Elektra pushed to keep it off the album. "That's just a song that is controversial only to the kind of conservative ears of a suit at a record company," Salazar said. "The lyrics are gritty. There's no profanity. But the lyrics are a kind of [underground poet Charles] Bukowski-esque storytelling of an urban youth drama. And so they put the pressure on us not to put it on the record.

"We threw a big artist hissy fit: 'No, no, no! We want it on the record.' But there was a good chance the song would become the focus of the record, be banned in the Midwest, and the CD would be taken off the shelves at Wal-Mart or wherever. We didn't want that to happen. We wanted the music to be the focus."

The band and the label reached a compromise: "Slow Motion" was included on "Blue" as an instrumental, and Third Eye Blind will release a version with lyrics on an "independent" EP funded by Elektra.

In addition to helping produce "Blue," Salazar co-wrote two of the songs with Jenkins, "10 Days Late" and "Darwin," and in addition to playing bass also contributed on guitar, melotron, theremin, and sitar.

"Everybody wants to be the guitar player, playing solos and wearing tight pants," Salazar said. "That was a lot of fun."