Regina Cannot Explain It All

fatmanatee:

NY Magazine dared to mention Third Eye Blind in a post, and an angry mob came to the band’s defense, and that surprised them.  Sarah Lewitinn also got hit with commenter rage when she wrote a post about Stephen Jenkins and Co. (oh don’t worry friends, I know this band.  I own Blue.)  I got the first big album because of Losing a Whole Year and How’s It Gonna Be, made it something to listen to on my own, and nobody really bothered me over it in high school.  Heck, if there was anyone else in my high school who was listening to them, I certainly didn’t know.

Wha happen?  Lately I’ve seen them pop up here and there on tumblr, and I never knew people were so into them!  I dunno, I guess I never thought of them carrying any long lasting significance in the scene, like the way music snobs talk about Pavement.  Third Eye Blind just sorta blended in at the time.  In the same boat as the Goo Goo Dolls, Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, you get the idea.  And I like some songs from all of these groups… it’s okay!  Let’s not get too sensitive about this.

1) I would like to point out that it’s StephAn Jenkins, but only because that “a” asserts itself obnoxiously whenever I read it.

2) I know of at least two ladies who not only listened to 3EB but were also HUGE superfans, to the extent that one very nearly stopped by Mulcahy’s bar on Long Island just to hear them play “Motorcycle Drive By” live one last time. (I am neither of these ladies.)

3) I think a lot of kids who hit maturity in the late 90s have an unmerited fondness for bands like 3EB because of the nostalgia value. Nostalgia will make you do weird things, like defend the somewhat questionable ethics of “Never Been Kissed.”

(Also, my bit of trivia regarding Third Eye Blind is that those few proud hardcore fans were irked when the band — StephAn — famously and suddenly dropped lead guitarist and co-songwriter Kevin Cadogan. Not that the band wouldn’t have fallen into obscurity anyway, but one wonders….)