Writings - Lost A Whole Year: Yet Another Third Eye Blind Fansite

June 5, 2009:

At risk of stating the obvious, I'm a devoted fan of Third Eye Blind. How did it happen, though? What has the life story been of my fascination with the group?

The tale is a bit of a convoluted one. The late nineties coincided with my impressionable late "tween" and early teenage years...a fun but emotionally awkward period of my life, and one in which (perhaps more than any other) I was willing to listen to any music I came across with an open ear.

In the summer of 1998, I attended an educational "gifted" camp event in Buckhannon, West Virginia. A few weeks later, I went camping with my family in upper Michigan. By the end of August, I was back in school kicking off my final year at the small-town K-8 institution I had attended for the previous eight years. Although it didn't seem that way at the time, this era plays back as an idyllic period in my memory...and the reason for that, more than any other, was the soundtrack that accompanied it. The Barenaked Ladies finally hit it big in the U.S. with "One Week" after several albums and smaller hits north of the border. Marcy Playground, Harvey Danger, Fastball, and Semisonic ruled the airwaves. I had paid relatively little attention to popular music before, but suddenly the allure became too much to resist: Honest-to-goodness rock and roll music with melodies and hooks galore seemed to be practically everywhere. And in the midst of that was Third Eye Blind: A band behind radio hits both irresistible (Semi-Charmed Life) and bittersweet (How's It Going to Be) alike.

But while there were a lot of musically-similar artists zipping through pop radio airwaves and sales charts at the time, there just seemed to be something different about Third Eye Blind: A deeper significance to their music that was both intriguing and rewarding when you scratched the surface. Lyrics that told introspective tales of firsthand experiences, thrills, and regrets. Tight interplay between vocals and guitars. A willingness to experiment with different song structures and instruments. No two 3EB songs sounded alike; yet they all formed pieces out of a coherent whole. Eventually I got my hands on a copy of their debut album, and I was in bliss.

At the same time, my bliss tended be a secretive one: Living in an isolated town in rural West Virginia among people whose viewpoints I was often at diametric odds with, I had few friends; and even fewer opportunities to socialize with anyone who might have a similar taste in music. In spite of that (or perhaps as a logical conclusion), 3EB took on a personal connection for me...a "friend" I could turn to for a diversion from the rest of the world; something I could singularly consider my own.

On August 9, 2000, Third Eye Blind performed at the Civic Center in Salem, Virginia in the midst of the Blue tour. Eventually I became haunted by the fact that I didn't attend the concert, as my path and the band's wouldn't cross within a hundred miles of each other again for the next eight years. Buoyed by a lull in the "all 3EB, all the time" radio playlists of the previous few years necessitating the need to take "matters" into my own hands, I finally began to catch up on fan activities; seeking out websites and interacting with other fans online.

Three months after Out of the Vein was released in May 2003, I went off to college. Unfortunately, this proved to be a time in my life when Third Eye Blind were relegated to the back burner: My primary attention suddenly became relegated to academics, problematic roommates, and several dead-end majors. Musically, my focus shifted over to discovering precursor bands and backfilling my CD collection. Very little activity surfaced from 3EB itself during this time; aside from a compilation and the occasional unattendable tour. Coupled with self-induced burnout from their earlier work, my temper started wearing thin on fan forums, and at times I found myself feeling downright cynical about the group.

But lately, the fascination I once had has come back. I remember the curiosity and enthusiasm I experienced in the heady days when I heard their music for the first time. I remember the time when Third Eye Blind's success seemed unstoppable. I remember the trials and tribulations of my life when the strains of "Darkness" or "The Background" were one of the few comforts I had on hand to turn to. Not least, I remember the music itself...and upon relistening to the albums with a mind opened anew, I have newfound appreciation for the power and integrity of the band.

My own life circumstances eventually brought me to Wisconsin (Stephan Jenkins' childhood home, ironically enough), and on May 31, 2009, I finally saw Third Eye Blind perform in concert. The experience was a dream come true.