Third Eye Blind Guitarist Strikes Back

Things haven't been so easy lately for Third Eye Blind. After enjoying immense success in 1997 and 1998, the band's frontman, Stephan Jenkins, developed something of a reputation for rock-star pretentiousness. This meant, of course, that when the band's sophomore album, Blue, was released recently, critics took aim at the bull's eye Jenkins had painted on himself, often focusing on the singer's predilection to name drop rather than the band's music. In fact, nowhere has the band been under more scrutiny in the press than in its hometown of San Francisco. And finally, it seems the band has had enough.

In a letter printed in the San Francisco Chronicle, Third Eye Blind guitarist Kevin Cadogan takes issue with a report published in late November by Chronicle music critic Joel Selvin. Selvin's story details some of the financial headaches Jenkins and the band have gone through in their rise to stardom. Delving into past lawsuits and struggles over album credits, Jenkins is portrayed as the heart and soulless corporate owner of Third Eye Blind.

However, says Cadogan, the article doesn't tell the whole truth and is, in fact, inaccurate at times.

"Does anyone care to read an expos� behind the business aspects of Third Eye Blind?" he asks.

"Selvin spoke only with Stephan's enemies, and not even his best ones at that," he says, adding that the music writer made at least one factual mistake in the body of his report. "He was mistaken when he reported that the corporation Third Eye Blind was solely owned by Stephan Jenkins. It is jointly owned by the band, and shares will be issued by the end of the year."

Cadogan also takes issue with Selvin's pronouncement, "Make no mistake: Stephan Jenkins is Third Eye Blind."

"I find this statement particularly irresponsible since I co-wrote 10 songs on the first album and six on the second. [Bassist] Arion Salazar co-wrote two on the second album and did just as much producing as Stephan did. [Drummer] Brad Hargreaves produced his drum tracks, and I produced my guitar. Jason Carmer, a local producer and engineer, helped all of us with these tasks."

And he goes after Selvin's credibility. "I knew Selvin had no interest in writing about music when I handed him our new CD. He took it with the kind of 'oh yeah' attitude one has when the checkout person reminds him to take his receipt."

So, in the big picture, has Third Eye Blind received a raw deal from the critical community? Perhaps. But one thing remains clear: The band's self-titled album, released in 1997, has gone quadruple platinum. Its sophomore effort, Blue, has been on the charts for three weeks, and has sold just over 150,000 copies.