Third Eye Blind Singer Recalls Emotional Rise To Fame In The 90s
I’ve never talked with Stephan Jenkins from Third Eye Blind, so I can check him off my ever-growing list of rockers I’ve interviewed.
Right off the bat, we talked about touring and how much he likes it. He commented on how concerts unite us: “That collective sense of feeling lets us know that we’re not alone.” You can see him and Third Eye Blind, along with Yellowcard and A R I Z O N A, on July 7th at Pine Knob Music Theater.
We talked about a recent unplugged performance he did at an Emo club. “It was fun, man, it was fun,” he said about the impromptu show.
Third Eye Blind Teams Up With Detroit’s Own Shinola
We also talked about a couple of other things, one of which is their collaboration with Shinola. Stephan talked about how he likes that the watches are Made In America and the local craftsmen who make them. They have a limited edition watch coming out. “It’s super cool. It’s obviously American-made.” He said they’ll visit the store and Jack White’s Third Man Records when they come through.
How Did His Life Change In The 90s?
His life changed hugely in the 90s when Third Eye Blind broke. He paused for about 5 seconds before answering as I asked him this. He talked about living in an apartment with six roommates and one bath and sleeping on packing foam. He spoke to the bands he started or joined that fell apart until the band finally broke. After massive tours with U2 and The Rolling Stones, he drove home after two years on the road. “Tears streamed down my face because I realized where I’d gone to, this delineation of points,” he said.
We wrapped our conversation by talking about how the thrash scene in San Francisco where he’s from had any effect on his musical tastes.
Check out the audio-only version of Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown below.