No offense to Primus but that sounds awful. No one had done it before, and, like, three weeks later all of my friends were addicted.” Sidebar: Don’t ever take speed at a Primus concert. He did tell Rolling Stone, “It’s about a time when my friends and I were at a Primus concert and somebody brought speed. It really is funny that people play it on the radio.” Stephan was often cagey about precisely how, uh, autobiographical “Semi-Charmed Life” was. Stephan Jenkins, explaining “Semi-Charmed Life” to Billboard in April 1997: “It’s a dirty, filthy song about snorting speed and getting blow jobs. The world has spent nearly a quarter-century now grudgingly acknowledging the awesomeness of “Semi-Charmed Life.” Later in this show today I will discuss the awesomeness of “Semi-Charmed Life” with none other than Max Collins from Eve 6. It’s catchy, it’s gritty, it’s subversive, it’s ridiculous, it’s incandescent. I should clarify immediately that this song is awesome. Today it’s “Semi-Charmed Life” from the 1997 self-titled debut album from San Francisco pop-rock band Third Eye Blind. What makes this guy special? What makes this guy the great unifier? Well, I suppose you’d have to start what makes him great. But really: To what do we owe the world’s displeasure? Lotsa megalomaniac walking-cheese douchebag rock stars in the world. What’s the deal here? Why do so many people hate Stephan Jenkins, frontman, Third Eye Blind? Stephan with an a not an e at the end. “After the Third Eye Blind guy told me he fucked my girlfriend he told me I was ‘a wordsmith like Jim Morrison.’” -Max Collins, frontman, Eve 6 He’s a net negative as a person.” -John Vanderslice, San Francisco singer-songwriter and producer “Stephan Jenkins has caused a lot of misery in his lifetime. The song ‘Somebody Hates You’ is entirely about him.” -Jason Slater, former bassist and Stephan Jenkins bandmate, Third Eye Blind, talking up his new band, Snake River Conspiracy
He was the inspiration for a lot of the songs on this record. I wanted to have a career in music for the rest of my life, and I knew if I was associated with that guy, I would not be allowed to do so. “I was hip to Stephan’s bullshit a long time ago. He’s really just a cock.” -Rob Thomas, immortal singer of Santana’s “Smooth,” 10 years after the Walking Cheese thing “I don’t hate him, I just don’t like him. This was pre-“Smooth.” He was still mortal then. Rob had gained 40 pounds on the first major Matchbox Twenty tour. I just think, ‘You are walking, breathing, living cheese!’” -Rob Thomas, frontman, Matchbox Twenty. He and his band got into a fight once because he wanted to put just his picture on their T-shirt. (I feel so much better now.)” -Zach Lind, drummer, Jimmy Eat World “Stephan Jenkins is such a fucking creepy douchebag. That’s all I’ll say about that.” -Steve Harwell, frontman, Smash Mouth
I wouldn’t go near Stephan Jenkins and that band. “There’s a few bands that we just don’t like touring with. He’s so narcissistic that he’s not really capable of rational thought.” -Kevin Cadogan, former lead guitarist and Stephan Jenkins bandmate, Third Eye Blind “Stephan Jenkins is a total megalomaniac freak.